Can you use home grown grapes leaves for Dolmades?!
Can you use home grown grapes leaves for Dolmades?
Can you use any kind of home grown grape leaves for cooking Dolmades? I have vines of flaming red, green, and now some chardonnay grapes. Are all these edible?
Answers:
Yes, you can use any grape leaves for dolomades providing that they are big enough, and haven't been sprayed, but they have to be picked in early spring before the veins in the leaves get too hard. I know this because my Greek neighbor has come to me and asked to pick some for this reason, and I have three different types of grapes here.
I think she said they can be frozen for later use.
edible but not right, don't use
Most definitely. When my grandmother had her own grape vines she would always use her leaves...never did she buy any from the store.!
Are you Greek?
If you have a source for fresh, chemical-free grape leaves, then you are lucky. To use, they need only be rinsed; cut the stems off at the base where they encounter the leaf. To store future batches of leaves, simply stack up to 50 leaves and wrap tightly in foil. Remember, if you use leaves that have been packed in brine, they need a thorough soaking and rinsing before you can proceed with this recipe.
(i'm not sure which leaf 'varieties' are best)