How to Make Muscadine Hull Pie

My mother was never one to let things go to waste. We enjoyed sucking the sweet contents of muscadine grapes each fall but we spit out the seeds and skin.

This seemed a waste to my mother. Surely there was a use for those grape skins. Her answer?

MUSCADINE HULL PIE

Harvest a half-gallon of ripe muscadines; wash and remove any stems. Put grapes in a flat-bottomed pot and mash so that the pulp and seeds are separated from the hulls (skins).

Pick out the hulls and make sure there are no seeds hidden inside. Place in a boiler; barely cover with water. Boil until tender: 15 – 20 minutes. Drain hulls but reserve the water/juice. Pour 1 cup of water/juice into a mixing bowl; add 1 cup of sugar plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch and mix thoroughly.

Add hulls to mixing bowl. Also add 5 drops of vanilla or almond extract, 1 Tsp. grated lemon peel and 1 Tbs. lemon juice. Stir vigorously. Pour into frozen deep-dish pie crust. Dot the filling with 1 tablespoon butter.

Add top crust. Lattice the top for effect if you care to.

Put pie onto a thin cookie sheet to protect oven from spills. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream on top.

M’mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

PRO TIP Separating the muscadine hulls from the pulp and seeds is tedious work, not suited for children who might miss a seed or two. It was easier to teach us to put a grape between our front teeth, bite gently and enjoy the sweet juice then spit the hull into a pint jar or large cup. After an appropriate time in the evening, she would collect the containers, quickly check for seeds, and start boiling.:

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