Description

History:

It is reasonable to assume that man has known about raisins since he first discovered grapes drying on a vine thousands of years ago. We know for certain that raisins played an important part in the commerce of the ancient Middle East. And for good reason. Raisins retain virtually all the nutrition of the original grapes but weigh less than a fourth as much. They also keep almost indefinitely, a perfect food to store and carry when nomadic lifestyles were common and refrigeration did not exist.

Raisins were a principal crop of Armenia as early as 400 B.C. and now, almost 2500 years later, most raisin growers in the San Joaquin Valley are Armenian.

Long before the ‘Forty-Niners’ came to California to find Gold, Spanish missionaries had established a string of missions all along the California Coast. The Padres brought many plants from Europe, including grapes for making sacramental wines.

During the California Gold Rush the ‘Forty-Niners’ set out from San Francisco to search for mineral riches, they had to trek across a seemingly endless stretch of parched flatlands to reach the rich goldfields in the Sierra foothills. The miners called it the ‘Badlands’, today we know it as the San Joaquin Valley.

Many of the hardy pioneers were ex-farmers. As goldfever died down they saw potential in the ‘Badlands’. They lacked only one thing for successful agriculture – water. Adapting the techniques they had used for channeling water to their mining sites, these men undertook the monumental task of bringing water to this arid valley where only nine inches of rain fall each year. These original canals formed the nucleus of what is now one of the most extensive irrigation networks in existence.

Today, 95% of the raisins produced in California are made from one grape variety: the Thompson Seedless. The millions of Thompson Seedless grapes harvested in the San Joaquin Valley each year are descended from a few vines brought to California by an Englishman named William Thompson.

The sweet flavor, thin skin and lack of seeds make the Thompson Seedless ideal for producing raisins. Dried in the sun, it becomes the familiar dark raisins. Sulfur cured and oven-dried, it emerges as the golden raisin.

Growing Region:

California

Although dried grapes are produced in several countries, nearly half of the world’s supply of raisins comes from a single valley in the heart of the State of California. The San Joaquin Valley was at one time thought to be a worthless wasteland. Today, this once barren desert is a thriving agricultural center. It is one of the most fertile food producing areas on earth. Sheltered from winds and rains by mountains on three sides and blessed with a long, hot growing season, the San Joaquin Valley is well suited for viticulture, the growing of grapes.

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Analysis*:

* Nutrition Information is based on seedless raisins.

Disclaimer: The range of values obtained through various private and government investigators are true and accurate to the best knowledge. Variations may occur due to crop differences year to year. Analysis and ranges of values obtained by various private and governmental sources may vary from actual data obtained from current and future crop years.

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Sizes of seedless raisins:

The size designations and measurement requirements for the respective sizes are:

1. Select size raisins means that no more than 60 percent, by weight, of all the raisins will pass through round perforations 22/64-inch in diameter, but not more than 10 percent, by weight, of all the raisins may pass through round perforations 20/64-inch in diameter.
2. Small or midget size raisins means that 95 percent, by weight, of all the raisins will pass through round perforations 24/64-inch in diameter, and not less than 70 percent, by weight, of all raisins will pass through round perforations 22/64-inch in diameter.
3. Mixed size raisins means a mixture which does not meet either the requirements for select size; or for small or midget size.

Berry count of Seedless Raisins

 Grades of seedless raisins:

1. U.S. Grade A is the quality of Seedless Raisins that have similar varietal characteristics; that have a good typical color; that have a good characteristic flavor; that show development characteristics of raisins prepared from well-matured grapes with not less than 80 percent, by weight, of raisins that are well-matured or reasonably well-matured; that contain not more than 18 percent, by weight, of moisture for all varieties of Seedless Raisins except the Monukka variety, which may contain not more than 19 percent, by weight, of moisture; and that meet the additional requirements outlined in Table I of this subpart.
2. U.S. Grade B is the quality of Seedless Raisins that have similar varietal characteristics; that have a reasonably good typical color; that have a good characteristic flavor; that show development characteristics of raisins prepared from reasonably well-matured grapes with not less than 70 percent, by weight, of raisins that are well-matured or reasonably well-matured; that contain not more than 18 percent, by weight, of moisture for all varieties of Seedless Raisins except the Monukka variety, which may contain not more than 19 percent, by weight, of moisture; and that meet the additional requirements outlined in Table I of this subpart.
3. U.S. Grade C is the quality of Seedless Raisins that have similar varietal characteristics; that have a fairly good typical color; that have a fairly good flavor; that show development characteristics of raisins prepared from fairly well-matured grapes with not less than 55 percent, by weight, of raisins that are well-matured or reasonably well-matured; that contain not more than 18 percent, by weight, of moisture for all varieties of Seedless Raisins except the Monukka variety, which may contain not more than 19 percent, by weight, of moisture; and that meet the additional requirements outlined in Table I of this subpart.
4. Substandard is the quality of Seedless Raisins that fail to meet the requirements of U.S. Grade C.

Standards for processed raisins:

* Category of Natural Seedless Raisins includes natural sun-dried Thompson, tunnel-dried Thompson and golden Thompson Seedless rainsins.

 Standard Packing for Raisins:

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