Cooking with The Whole Grape

By: Cheri Browne | August 18 2011
Posted in Rogue Valley - Cook It - Rogue Valley

Chicken fried in grape flour and Panko breadcrumbs topped with sliced tomato, mozzarella, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Photo by: Cheri Browne

Who knew the tiny little wine grape could pack such a punch? The Whole Grape, and their parent company Southern Oregon Seed Oils do! These two Grants Pass companies are dedicated to making food and fuel products out of waste from local wineries -- and they’re on a mission to squeeze all they can out of these abundant wonder fruits, and stimulate the local economy in the process.

The companies work with local wineries to use the waste that would otherwise be thrown out or composted. They use the skins (after the juices are pressed out of them) to make flour, and they also separate the seeds to extract the flavorful oil. They also grow and harvest the Williams Naked Pumpkin, or Styria Pumpkin, and use its hull-less, protein-packed seeds to make a tasty, full-bodied oil, and raw pumpkin butter as well.

A delicious onion, pineapple, artichoke heart, broccoli, zucchini, purple bell pepper, and tomato-topped pizza with grape flour crust.

Recent research has shown that wine grape skins, and products made from them, may have beneficial qualities, especially in relation to heart disease and cancers because they are very high in fiber, antioxidants, omega acids, vitamin A, and potassium. Not only are they nutritious and wholesome, they add a sweet, tangy flavor and an elegant deep purple hue to whatever you're cooking. They are also a natural preservative that extends the shelf life of your baked goods by 25%!

The grape flour can be used in small quantities as an added or replacement ingredient in any recipe where flour is needed. Just add or replace 5-10% of the grape flour to the original flour portion of your recipe—it’s that easy.

The oils can be used as a substitute to your regular olive or cooking oil. Unlike many other oils on the market, these are both cold pressed and unfiltered, so they have an extra fruity aroma and flavor. Their nutty flavor makes them delicious to cook with, or drizzled over just about anything—salads, sandwiches, pastas, popcorn -- the possibilities are endless! The pumpkin oils have numerous health benefits and are high in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and vegetable proteins, making them the ideal “brain food.”

Now that you're up on the benefits of grape flour and oil, it's time to put them through the taste bud test! Check out these recipes we tried for pizza dough, fried chicken, carrot-chai muffins, and pumpkin butter salad dressing.

Cheri Browne is a writer, photographer, reveler of Southern Oregon and enamored connoisseur of all things West Coast.