vine leaves

[queenbee]

Forgive me if I sound like an idiot, when a recipe calls for vine leaves are they a special kind of vine or will my grape vine serve the same purpose. LOL

[queenbee]

[Toshofthe Wuffingas]

Your grapevine will provide the leaves. My mother in law used to provide us with leaves from her prunings which we used to wrap parcels of food in. I loved them. One weekend my sister and brother in law decided without asking to root out the vine from the greenhouse and dump it.

[Jeannine]

Your recipe should be able to use fresh grape vine leaves or it may use the brined ones in jars. If so it should give you instructions for de salting them, usually it is on the jar however. If your recipe tells you to soak the leaves and to change the water a few times they are talking about the preserved ones.

If you do have a grape vive, they freeae very well for  later use, ideally in layers in between clingfilm.

XX Jeannine

[artichoke]

Jeannine, I always celebrate June by making dolmades with my grape leaves but I never thought of freezing the leaves. Do you freeze them straight off the vine, or do you blanch them first? The clingfilm is a good idea, too, I suppose it saves tearing the leaves if they stick to each other....

[Dopey]

As I write this, the wife is making dolmades, and i will very soon be eating it (first this year with fresh leaves) you blanch them, just for a few seconds, until its limp and soaked in the water, then the puts them in them Tesco see thru bags, (there are 3 of us, so enough for 3 in each bag) wait till it cools, then put it in the freezer,

[Jeannine]

Bang on XX Jeannine

[artichoke]

Thanks!

[Rosebank]

Excuse my ignorance but what is dolmades - any recipe available please?

[saddad]

Stuffed vine leaves...

[Vinlander]

Forgive me if I sound like an idiot, when a recipe calls for vine leaves are they a special kind of vine or will my grape vine serve the same purpose. LOL

I hate to say this - but in my experience vine types from crosses with native american species have less of that fresh tart flavour in the leaf - very disappointing for dolmades.

It's bad news because the most mediterranean ones with the best tasting leaves are the ones most likely to suffer mildew and unripe fruit in our cold dull summers, whereas the hybrids sail through them!

My solution would be to grow a tightly pruned Brandt for its colour, looks and leaves, but give 90% of the space for hybrids like Himrod.

Cheers.

[Jeannine]

I have had no problems with poor tasting leaves , I pick them fairly young though XX Jeannine

[cornykev]

One of the Greek blokes on our lottie was telling me that other day that he uses his spinach leaves instead of vine leaves, has anyone else heard of this.  ::)