Himrod (Vitis labrusca) is a white table grape, released in 1952 by the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. The grape is a cross between Ontario and Thompson Seedless, it is a seedless variety and is known for ripening quickly and being very productive. In California, most golden raisins are produced from the aforementioned Thompson Seedless (also known as the Sultana grape in other parts of the world). For most raisin production, grapes are harvested in early autumn and are sun-dried over a three week period in the vineyards on paper trays. Golden raisins, however, are oven-dried and treated with the preservative sulphur dioxide to retain their light colour. This form of sulphite has been used for centuries to prevent the darkening of any fruit during the drying process. (I do like nice, apricot-coloured, dried apricots).
Funny, all of a sudden I am craving a warm, buttered scone. But made with Zante currants.
