Table grapes make themselves at home in Idaho
By
Kimberly Warren
Managing Editor
Idaho’s
most famous crop may be potatoes, but table grapes are on their way
in.
The table grape industry in Idaho began only about 10 years ago when
researchers planted the first vines. And heading up the effort is
Essie Fallahi, professor and research leader at the University of
Idaho’s (UI) Parma Research and Extension Center. They planted
those vines because their plum market – once marketed in the
season when California has slowed plum production – was starting
to fluctuate.
“In 1993, the CA (controlled atmosphere) storage came to such
a way that they (California) got that window away from us,”
Fallahi said. “They leave it in CA storage and then we lost
that window because they could market those plums late as September.
At that time, growers were wondering, what can they do.”
Growers were just looking for a way to survive the tight marketplace,
said Ron Mann, a fruit grower and president of the Idaho Table Grape
Association.
“The driving force has been, and I think will remain so for
some time, is finding something that fruit growers in Idaho can start
planting,” Mann said. “There’s a lot of guys who’ve
been hurt really bad.”
Fallahi, at that time, was also involved with other fruits and with
wine grapes. Wine grapes are nothing new for Idaho – but table
grapes, he said, people thought were a strange crop for the state.
Many thought Idaho was too cold to grow high quality table grapes.
And, Fallahi said, some of them might be right – some of the
time.
“One out of every nine years, we may get as cold as -15 or so,”
he said. “However, in the last 10 years, we have never had any
cold like that. If we have the cold weather, we are going to lose
our crop in everything else, the same way we may lose our grapes.
“They have been doing very well in mild winters. If it goes
too far below zero, I don’t think we’ll have a chance.”
But because the vines are not grafted, even if they have frost damage,
growers will be able to recover them.
In all, UI researchers have tested 70 different varieties of grapes.
Seven or eight of them, Fallahi said, will be suitable for Idaho growing
conditions.
In all, there are about 50 growers with table grapes planted in Idaho.
Most of them have small acreage, but there are those with up to 30
acres – and thinking of expanding.
“In addition to being a source of income, this is a lot of fun,”
Fallahi said. “There are a lot of retired people getting into
this business along with the professional growers. When they see the
test plots we have, the are extremely optimistic.”
Idaho’s grape harvest runs September through October –
after California has completed harvest.
“The good thing is that we are coming after California has slowed
down,” Fallahi said. “We are complementary to California,
and they are watching us with interest. Anytime we have a need for
guidance, they have been more than nice to help.”
By January, Fallahi said the only fresh grapes are those from Chile.
And if Idaho can store their grapes, Fallahi said he believes Idaho
can corner that market until Christmas.
The oldest non-research vineyard in Idaho is 6 years old or so, Fallahi
said. And the response growers are receiving has been positive.
“We wanted to be sure – it’s one thing to raise
grapes, but you have to do it consistently and you have to consistently
have quality,” Mann said. “Most importantly, you have
to have a market... I’ve had people in here from Canada, Central
and South America, England, Germany, France, Taiwan and Japan, as
well as two major grocery chains here in the United States. And they
said ‘You have the finest quality grapes we’ve ever tasted.’”
And as those major markets continue to grow, Fallahi said it will
be possible to create more markets for the grapes and other fruits
in the state.
“Some of the growers are saying shipment of table grapes is
perfect for them,” Fallahi said. “Buyers come to buy Galas
and Fujis, we can ship the grapes with the apples. Rather than buying
Gala and Fuji and then going somewhere else, they can buy it all here.”
Being successful in table grapes often means measuring tonnage, but
Fallahi said it is also important to look at timing and quality. And
Idaho’s high desert conditions with warm days and cool nights
make great conditions, he said. The cool September temperatures make
the grapes take on deep purple and black colors.
“There are some excellent, excellent table grape growing areas
in warmer places, but for certain varieties, they may not get the
beautiful deep color that we like to have,” Fallahi said.
The different varieties they choose come from breeding programs across
the country – such as the University of Arkansas and the University
of California-Davis. UI has been offering field days to help growers
learn about all of the different varieties available. And classes,
which Fallahi teaches, help the growers learn about growing grapes.
As more growers continue to learn about growing grapes in Idaho, more
growers want to plant them. And Mann said they will continue to grow
the Idaho business: as more people taste Idaho’s grapes, more
people will want them.
“The game plan is to just keep building up – build like
an oak tree,” he said. “Yet, we don’t want to outpace
the market. People discover our grapes and like them, and the market
will increase.”
