Grapes vs. Cabbage

As most of you know, before moving to NY I lived in MI. In the fall one of my favourite things to do would be to drive home from St.Joe/B.H. with my windows down and breath the grape scented air. There were days it was so strong that one didn't even need to roll down the windows. You could see the grapes hanging off the vines, ready to be picked. Fresh vine ripened grapes has got to be one on the best late summer/early fall smells. There are lots of vineyards around here, but I have never smelled grapes like that since. My theory is that the grapes in NY are for wine and the grapes in MI were for juice.

Now I live near a cabbage farm, NY State is the second largest cabbage producer in the country. Cabbage is much hardier than grapes and can be in cold storage throughout the winter, making it a staple winter vegetable. As cabbage ages, it's smell gets stronger, as I found out the other morning. I was maybe 1/2 a mile from the cabbage farm and I start smelling this hideous smell, not quite unlike someone passing gas. I was by myself in the truck, and wasn't feeling bloated, so started looking around for the source of the smell. As I passed the farm I saw that they were removing the outer layers of the cabbage with their machine inside the warehouse, all the bruised leaves are removed and shot outside on a conveyor belt and into the back of a truck. Hence the smell from 1/2 a mile away.

I miss the smell of the grape juice vineyards, and they sure beat the smell of bruised cabbage leaf juice.