Florida Keys Treasures

• 1/2 cup Pitted Ripe Sea Grapes
• 1 cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Bottled Water
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tblsp Raw Sugar
• Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper To Taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend well and refrigerate. Take out of fridge 30 minutes prior to use so it will temper.

Seagrapes: when fully mature, they become soft and have a sweet-sour taste making them great for use in jams and jellies. Select ripe and partly ripe sea grapes.

from Gourmet Bahamian Cooking.
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Seagrape,Coccoloba uvifera, are native to South Florida and grow throughout tropical America and the Caribbean. They are not tolerant of cold and can grow into a tree up to 40 ft., but are more often seen as a small tree or large shrub. Leaves are thick and round to heart-shaped from 3 to 10 inches wide. New foliage is smooth and brown or bronze in color. The seagrape is excellent for seaside locations since it is highly salt and drought tolerant.

The Seagrape Fruit, which resembles grapes in their clustered growth habit and size, are green for some time before ripening at different intervals to a dark red or purple. They ripen throughout summer. The most common way to eat seagrapes is as like all other grapes. Rinse and pop in your mouth, but remember they have a rather large hard seed.

They are also made into jelly and wine and you can find some recipes by clicking on the Seagrape recipe category in the left column.