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Vice President Kamala Harris claimed in an interview for Labor Day that she first tried grapes in her 20s because she would “never cross a picket line” — but a review of dates involved reveals problems with the account. Eating table grapes was shunned by labor activists from the time Harris was 19 to 36 — meaning Harris would have indeed flouted a picket line if her story is true.

Though there are many products where grape flavor can be welcome, such as juices, sodas, popsicles, and (of course) the actual fruit, the one place you’ll rarely find a grape is in your ice cream. Many conspiracy theories have been floating around as to why the lowly grape has yet to make its way to the creamery, but you might find that the real reason is the simplest of all. Let’s review. The main idea running rampant around the Internet blames the absence of grape ice cream on the Food and Drug Administration, which banned the flavor because of pet-related...

It’s weird to think about, but a lot of the things we take for granted are almost shockingly recent inventions. The can opener didn’t exist until 1870—nearly a full century after canned food was first produced (people ate so much canned food that year, you guys). Doors have been around forever, but doorknobs weren’t invented until 1878 (and people were finally able to leave their houses). And grape juice?

I want to plant a grape arbor. What is the best grape tu plant?

Grape growing, fish protection clash in California By JASON DEAREN, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 29, 3:46 am ET HEALDSBURG, Calif. – Grape growers in Northern California's cool, fertile Sonoma County wine region are stomping mad at a new plan to limit the amount of water vineyards can pump from local rivers and streams to protect crops from frost — a proposed regulation meant to safeguard coho salmon, a species on the brink of local extinction. Vineyard acreage in Sonoma County, adjacent to the Napa Valley, has increased 30 to 40 percent during the past decade and the county estimates...

The blessings of the grapesBy Kate Gonzales Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:35 AM CDT Father John Finley sings hymns Sunday with children after he has blessed Lavender Ridge Vineyard grapes. Enterprise photos by Kate GonzalesFinley blesses thousands of grapes with holy water. Enterprise photo by Kate GonzalesLavender Ridge Vineyard owners Rich and Siri Gilpin added an extra ingredient to their winegrapes this weekend: holy water. Friends, family and employees of the Gilpins traveled out to their vineyard along the rolling golden hills of Milton to enjoy the second annual ceremony of the blessing of the grapes. “It's just new...

An extract from grape seeds can destroy cancer cells, US research suggests. In lab experiments, scientists found that the extract stimulated leukaemia cells to commit suicide. Within 24 hours, 76% of leukaemia cells exposed to the extract were killed off, while healthy cells were unharmed, Clinical Cancer Research reports. The study raises the possibility of new cancer treatments, but scientists said it was too early to recommend that people eat grapes to ward off cancer. Grape seeds contain a number of antioxidants, including resveratrol, which is known to have anti-cancer properties, as well as positive effect on the heart. Previous...

Super-wine might boost lifespan 07 January 2008 From New Scientist Would you drink wine made from genetically engineered grapes if it had extra benefits? Such wine could be on the menu, thanks to a grape variety six times richer than normal in resveratrol, the compound in red wine associated with increased longevity, decreased heart disease and a host of other benefits. Yuejin Wang and colleagues at the Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in Yangling, Shaanxi province, China, made the supervine by equipping it with an extra gene from a wild Chinese vine. Vitus pseudoreticulata has an unusual variant of the...

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists in France and Italy have deciphered the complete genetic code for the plant producing wine grapes, according to a study published Sunday. While the findings will do nothing to enhance the mystique of winemaking, they could pave the way for gene-based manipulations to boost flavour and improve resistance against disease. Dozens of researchers analyzing the Pinot Noir varietal of Vitis vinifera, the core species from which virtually all grape wine is made, found twice as many genes contributing to aroma than in other sequenced plants, suggesting that wine flavours could be traced to the genome level....

A Butte County jury has found a Gridley supermarket not liable to pay civil damages to an illegal alien who slipped and fell on a grape inside the store. The plaintiff, who suffered a fractured kneecap in the incident, had sought over $400,000 through her lawyer for past and future medical expenses, and pain and suffering. The jury was not specifically told the shopper was an illegal alien, only that she "couldn't legally work in this country." Superior Court Judge Barbara Roberts read a stipulation to that effect to the jury after the woman's San Francisco attorney, Rafael Crespo Jr.,...

Grape glut leaves vineyards facing ruin By Nick Squires in Sydney (Filed: 07/06/2006) Hundreds of Australian vineyards are facing ruin amid a glut of grapes that has left the industry producing far more wine than it can sell at home or overseas. The problem is so severe that the industry said yesterday that it will take a multi-million pound government bail-out to save smaller producers from going out of business. The popularity of Australian wine in Britain and America, coupled with generous government tax breaks, encouraged a craze for establishing vineyards from the late 1990s. The Wine Grape Growers' Council...

In a move that could bring a merlot low - and make a chardonnay shudder - a state lawmaker is proposing making zinfandel the official wine of California. State Sen. Carole Migden introduced the bill this week, saying the heady varietal is a "quintessential" California wine dating back to Gold Rush days and versatile enough to stand up to the spicy diversity of California cuisine. "It's about time we give it the recognition it deserves," ... Preliminary figures for the 2005 grape harvest put zinfandel at 10.4 percent of the crop, behind cabernet sauvignon's 12.5 percent. Chardonnay was the harvest...

STUART, Fla. -- A dramatic rescue ended tragically in Stuart, Florida, a rescue so difficult firefighters say they have never seen anything like it. It happened late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the home of a 600-pound woman who was having trouble breathing. Rescuers went in not knowing how difficult it would be to get her out. 40-year-old Gail Grinds was literally stuck to her couch and had to be removed surgically at the hospital. Authorities estimate she had been on the couch anywhere from two to five years. Martin County Fire amd Rescue crews faced what seemed...