"Golden Sultana Grapes"

....Yes, this is what Sultanas look like, before they are dried and packaged to sell in our supermarkets and other corner stores and elsewhere..
The more golden they are, the more sweet and lovely they are to eat.

On our way back from Red Cliffs yesterday after blipping my Big Lady of the Trains, we stopped at one of the many blocks which sell mangoes, rockmelons, and so many other vegetables and fruits. We were after some mangoes (at one dollar each) and ofcourse we asked them if we could buy some sultanas straight from the vine.

... The 'blockie' - (a family we knew years ago) ever so kindly climbed onto his tractor with trailer at back and drove down amongst the vines to pick us a large bag, of these golden sultanas, and drove back - flat out, covering Mother's washing on the line in a cloud of red dust!!
... Mother said quietly 'he just doesn't think sometimes' - with a sweet smile on her kind face, which I thought was so beautifully spoken with expression, and looked at all the washing on the line, flapping in the breeze..I gave her extra money for the trouble we may have created...re-washing coming up I think....(happens on farms!!).

But rarely do we see sultana grapes like this, if at all, in supermarkets, as they are mostly table grapes which are sold, grapes like this, if they are of great quality (crown) they are mostly exported..
These are, in our minds, the real thing, maybe because we both at one time, which doesn't seem that long ago, used to pick them on vineyard blocks, and it was such fun, but hard work..I have mentioned previously in my journal our adventures during the early days of picking grapes...

In those days, the pay was not good at all - we had to pick them and place into what they called was a 'dip tin' which was made of perforated galvanized sheet, for drainage after they were dipped in a solution for drying out on racks in the sunshine..then the racks were shaken, and the grapes taken to the Packing Sheds, for their final processing and packaging.. It is still done today..

... Ironically, whilst writing this, one of our good neighbours has just come to the door with a big bag of table grapes, they're always welcome as well, and we know where they come from...