How to identify and preserve fresh grape leaves

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Here is all of the information you need to discover how to identify and preserve fresh grape leaves. Watch my step-by-step video and learn how to store and cook grape leaves.


Harvesting fresh grape leaves for the many favorite Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes for stuffed grape leaves is an ancient practice. Fresh picked grape leaves, if available, are preferred to jarred leaves because the picker can select smaller leaves which are more tender and have smaller veins.

Jarred grape leaves are of course a staple! Find them in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean grocery stores. Depending on where you live, some of the big grocery stores like Kroger or Publix also carry them too. Look for Orlando or Yergot brands.

One of the first, and favorite, things I ever wrote about food was a poem about picking grape leaves. It seems there is poetry to be found in the memory of being a child following the ladies out to the edge of a parking lot somewhere to pick what felt like illicit leaves to be stuffed for our big pots of Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves (also known as the Greek version, dolma or dolmades).

Every spring, when the vines unfurl their leaves at that perfect moment between tender and strong, I imagine the mass exodus of Lebanese coming out of their homes across the wide world and scurrying out to their secret vines to pick the leaves by the hundreds. It’s our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, our holy grail, our heart’s content. Often we turn to jars of leaves for our rolls, but fresh leaves are a tradition worth holding onto. Mothers teach their children and then their grandchildren, and then we, God-willing, teach ours, a tradition so worth keeping alive.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to harvest and store your own fresh grape leaves.

Watch my video tutorial on how to identify edible fresh grape leaves for stuffing:



How to identify edible grape leaves

Wild edible grape leaves have three distinct lobes with pointy notches all the way around the leaf. The vine itself is reddish and the leaves are bright green.

Generally edible grape leaves are on wild vines. Cultivated vines for grapes are not used for their leaves, because they are not tender or as flavorful. The wild vines are just that, devoting all of their energies to the leaves and not typically bearing much fruit, if any. The vines are not necessarily planted in gardens, but in Lebanon every home I visited had wild vines growing on a giant trellis over the patio. Gorgeous.

Get into the thrill of the chase to find the leaves along rivers and streams, even fences at the edges of deserted parking lots!


Fresh grape leaves in a towel

How to Pick Fresh Grape leaves

Pick the medium-sized leaves that are 4- to 5-inches in size. They are more tender than the larger leaves, but stronger than the very small leaves and will hold more stuffing. Pick at the base of the stem, where it attaches to the vine. Just snap the stem from the vine. The stem will be trimmed off later, but keeping it for now protects the leaf from tearing when picked and gives the leaf more longevity while stored until it’s used.

Don’t pick leaves that have holes or tears in them! The stuffing will fall out of these.

How to Store Fresh Grape Leaves

Clean the leaves by rinsing them in cool water just before using them, then patting dry. But they may well not need any washing at all if they look clean. Blanching (briefly boiling) the leaves before rolling softens the leaves, making them easier to roll, and also sterilizes them.

Store the leaves two ways:

  1. In the refrigerator. Store stacks of leaves in a container or zip top bag that’s ventilated so there is some airflow, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  2. In the freezer. To freeze grape leaves, do not wash them first. Wrap stacks of leaves in plastic wrap, then place the stacks in zip top freezer bags. Aunt Hilda added another layer of protection for her precious leaves by placing the bags of leaves in a shoe box for reinforcement. Smart. This protects the leaves from the cold and from getting banged by other things in the freezer.

    Frozen leaves last 6 months to a year in the freezer. I used leaves I picked last spring for a batch of our vegetarian grape leaf rolls this week, and they were a little dry and some frost-bitten, so I’d get at them sooner than a year ideally. But they rolled and cooked up beautifully. And tasted great.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use grape leaves from wine grape vines?

No, these are not tender enough for stuffed grape leaves.

When is the best time of year to pick grape leaves?

Late spring and early summer is the best time to pick fresh grape leaves. The leaves are tender and just the right size. Later in the summer, grape leaves are too large, veiny, and tough.

Can I pickle grape leaves in a jar?

Yes! Use a standard pickling brine that does not include sugar. Trim the stems from the leaves before rolling stacks of leaves to place in jars, then brine. Sterilized canning procedures are necessary for shelf life of jarred preserved leaves.

Which brand of grape leaves are best to buy?

Jarred leaves are a great alternative to fresh picked leaves. They can be found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean grocery stores. Depending on where you live, some of the big grocery stores like Kroger or Publix also carry them too. Look for Orlando or Yergot brands.

Are fresh grape leaves better than jarred?

Fresh grape leaves are generally more tender than jarred, which can have thick veins. When you pick your own leaves, you can select the size as well. Jarred leaves are often so big that the leaves must be cut for the proper-sized stuffed grape leaf roll.

Can I eat the grape leaves from my yard?

If the leaves are the same noted in this post with the three lobes, notched edges, from wild vine, then yes! Not all grape leaves are the same, but the one described here are edible.

What size grape leaves are best?

Choose leaves that are 4-5 inches in size to make a 3 inch stuffed grape leaf roll.


Rolled stuffed grape leaves lined up in a large pot.

Recipes for Grape Leaves

How to Roll Grape Leaves

Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves

Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves

Asparagus Pickles with Grape Leaves

How to Identify and Store Fresh Grape Leaves

  1. Location location location!

    Generally find edible grape leaves on wild vines. Cultivated vines for grapes are not used for their leaves, because they are not tender or as flavorful. The wild vines produce tender, thinner leaves that are right for stuffing, rolling, and cooking.

  2. Pick the right leaves.

    Wild edible grape leaves have three distinct lobes with pointy notches all the way around the leaf. The vine itself is reddish and the leaves are bright green. Grape leaves should be about 4- to 6-inches in size.

  3. Pick the leaves like this:

    Pick the leaf at the point where the leave stem meets the vine, keeping the stem on the leave and snapping it from the fine. Don’t pick the leaf from it’s own stem. The stem will be cut off later just before rolling the leaves. Avoid leaves with holes or tears.

  4. Store the grape leaves.

    Store grape leaves with the stems on, either in the refrigerator to cook within one week, or in the freezer for 6 months to a year. Store in zip top bags. Keep the bag partially open in the refrigerator for ventilation, but airtight in the freezer. To thaw frozen grape leaves, place them in boiling water to blanche them for just a couple of minutes before rolling.

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139 Comments

  1. I come from a Lebanese-American-Canadian family. We can’t imagine a proper dinner without stuffed grapeleaves. I started my grapevine from my mother’s and it has thrived and produced many pots of stuffed grapeleaves for 46 years. This year only a small part of the vine has produced leaves, not enough for a small pot. I think spotted lantern flies were the culprits. I trimmed it down and it still isn’t producing. Any ideas about how to save it?

    1. It sounds like your vine may need a year off! I would keep tending, watering, and hoping that next year the vine revives.

  2. I live in Edmonton, Alberta which is in western Canada. I have grape leaves growing in my yard and I have a problem with white flies and other flying insects eating the leaves or damaging the leaves. Since we want only organic leaves we are not going to use any sprays on them. To eliminate these insects we use yellow sticky strips which we hang on the vines. Flying insects are attracted to these yellow sticky’s. These strips are roughly 5 inches by 8 inches and are purchased from Amazon. Check the various suppliers for the best price. The leaves are perfect because we use these strips.

  3. What variety of cultivated vines can I use instead of wild vines? There are no wild grape vines in WA state. Nurseries are not allowed to ship wild grape vine stock to WA, OR, or WA. I think I read that Thompson grapevines produce leaves which work for meshi. Is this true?

    1. Sharon this is an interesting question, as I have not encountered cultivated vines for grapes that work for stuffing. I’ll do my research and share. Thanks for asking.

  4. We always used wild leaves but I have read elsewhere on the internet that Thompson grapevines are suitable too. I’m also from Wisconsin where the grapevine is plentiful even in the city. I live in a smaller town in Colorado now and it’s drier here. I saw some vines in the park last summer but they were too small and when I tried growing a domestic, it died and so did the clippings from a wild plant I tried to transplant in my garden and there aren’t exactly a lot of Armenians or middle easterners around here though I have heard there used to be a Greek church so where are the jars of grape leaves. I ordered some off of Amazon and the seal on the jar had popped and the seller wasn’t refunding anything.

    1. Kathy it can be so difficult to get them to grow. I get jars from pretty much any of our big grocery stores now and especially at the Middle Eastern markets.

  5. I’m a newbie to freezing but if I had the right kind of
    leaves, found that they cooked in a shorter time and needed more salt in the stuffing than jarred. Thanks for the tip about cutting with the stems. I saw you can pile them up sorta fanned and cut all the tips off at once

  6. Sometimes we make tabouli and eat it by using fresh picked grape leaves to pick it up with instead of lebanese bread.. We pick our leaves in late May early June. We use both kinds wild and domestic usually a concord vine. We wrap them stacks of 50 and roll them real tight in plastic wrap then put them in freezer bag . They have lasted up to 2-3 years sometimes.

    1. George that sounds great. We use romaine sometimes to eat the tabbouleh. In fact, in my cookbook my tabbouleh recipe serves it in little gem romaine lettuce cups!

  7. I thoroughly enjoyed your story of picking wild grape leaves from the side of the road. My mother raised in an Eastern European immigrant home in Pittsburgh learned from my Lebanese great grandmother how to cook Lebanese food which was always the celebration food in my family. Mom spent a good six to nine months living with Grandma Rose when my dad was stationed in Korea, I was baby. Being trained as Home Economist with a focus on nutrition, she managed to translate home cooking techniques of a pinch of this, a dump of that into recipes we can all follow. She, too, learned the art of finding wild grape leaves along the side of the road and stopping to collect them for stuffed grape leaves. The one thing she never learned how to do was bake the flat bread. She took that recipe and the baking techniques to the grave. Mom tried to learn and Grandma Rose would say— yes get up early in the morning 5:30 and I will teach you. Then she would get up at 4:30 and have the bread proof already. There was a period growing up when my dad experimented with trying to recreate his grandmother’s flat bread, but he was never really happy with his results.

    1. Wonderful history, Julia. The flatbread is perhaps the most elusive for all of us. I am working on this and will keep everyone posted when I can teach it as well as my Sitto did!

  8. Ms. Abood, May Allah bless you for bringing back so MANY FOND memories of my youth with my mother, May God Rest her soul, out in the spring time picking leaves in our small community in Southern Colorado. We knew where most of the grape vines were and since everyone knew Ms. Jamell, they encouraged her to pick them as she honestly told them, she was providing a service by picking the leaves and making the vine better. My Lebanese ex wife, and I knew where there were wild vines all around Boulder, Colorado and we picked enough, froze them, and had Warac Areesh all the rest of summer and fall Thank God. I sent your article to all of the family and many others to just enjoy your writing.
    Thank you again and again. May you and yours be Blessed (first and only time I have EVER commented on an article)

    1. This is so wonderful! Thank you for taking time to comment (I’m honored!) and to share your special, wonderful memories.

  9. Many years ago I found a wild grapevine patch growing at a beach along Lake Huron. It was very easy to pull up a small vine from the sandy soil and transplant it to my yard. It was definitely wild grape. It took well and I was thrilled. For 40 years I’ve had my own source of grape leaves.

    You have to be careful picking in unfamiliar areas. You could be trespassing. There are laws you can’t pick on public land. Also because you don’t know what chemicals the leaves might have been exposed to … from farms, from passing cars, from people treating their yards etc.

    But a word of caution if you do plant a wild vine:
    It requires a lot of diligence to keep a wild grapevine under control. It grows vigorously and you will have to keep cutting it back harshly. Also the trunk is almost impossible to kill once well rooted, and will come back no matter what you try.

    Additionally, wild grapevines DO make grapes. How else would they reproduce? The birds will eat the grapes and spread the seeds. You must also be relentless in pulling them out of your flowerbeds and garden as soon as you spot them.

    I have a wild area next to my home and grape vines are taking over large areas and climbing and killing some beautiful spruces. They got ahold before I spotted them. A friend had a grapevine literally cover an entire abandoned barn on his property.

    So be careful to plan where you plant grapevines in your yard. Some domestic varieties can be challenging to control too, but wild grapes are super survivors.

    1. Thank you for sharing all of this! Interestingly, I have never seen grapes on wild vines we pick for grape leaves.

  10. My mom had a beautiful vine in her yard, she picks leaves and makes Greek Dolmathes. I’ve tried with no luck to grow that vine. I was hoping to find a name for what type of vine it is, so I could purchase a starter plant. I guess the only good thing is I realize I’m not alone in my quest for this vine!

  11. My question is – My dad planted concord grapes twenty years ago. The vines have not been tended to in probably 10 years. Is there a chance I can use those grape leaves?

    1. Hmmm, I just can’t say without firsthand visual, but my guess…is that they are not the right leaves!

  12. My grandmother was from Ammun Leb. She always said, don’t eat the leaves that are white and fuzzy on the back. Only as you have described at the beginning. I am from Altoona PA, now live in NJ. I have looked at every leaf I can find. Never the right kind. My sisters both have so many around their homes near Albany NY and Altoona PA.

  13. We live in Louisiana an are trying to find the name an where to get the grape leaves for grape leave rolls. His mother had a vine when grew up an made them. She was Lebanese.

    1. I hope someone from your area can chime in as to where to pick! If you’re looking for jarred leaves ever you can find those online.

  14. My grandmother is Armenian and used to make wonderful grape leaf dolmas- I’m sure our cuisines have a lot in common! I found your site while attempting to find what variety of grape plant is best for edible leaves. My grandma used to have a grapevine in her backyard, which never to my knowledge produced any grapes (we live in foggy San Francisco, not the ideal climate for growing grapes for fresh eating or wine)- but it made good leaves. If there weren’t enough fresh leaves, she would resort to the kind that comes in a jar. Do you know if California wild grape leaves are edible? The leaves look like a different shape than the ones I remember.

    1. Hi Alexis! Great memories you have of your grandma’s grapeleaves. I’m not sure if the leaves you are referring to are edible, so hard to tell without seeing them in person. Hopefully the photos here are a guide for you but you won’t want to use yours if you’re not absolutely sure about them.

  15. I have a lot of wild grapevines in my yard and around this area. They do actually make grapes. If you find the grapes, let them ripen then plant the seeds. I see new grapevines popping up all over the yard near the fence. They get mowed. I will start digging them up and replanting nearer the fence so they can stay up. I intend to eat leaves. By the way, the grapes are delicious. The ones I have are called muscadine. I hear they make great wine. I don’t drink though. Anyway, I saved a lot of the seeds from the ones I ate and planted a few closer into my yard. In the bushes though where they love to climb.

  16. Hmmm. I heard about stuffed grape leaves and found your site while searching. I’ve lived here 8yrs. We have a huge grape vine along our tree/fence line. It flowers every yr briefly, but has never had fruit. Makes me wonder if it’s wild. I’m in a house that used to be part of a huge farm. 80+ yrs ago. I just thought maybe they are old(still possibility.)

    1. Hi Amie… sounds like your vine could be just right, if the leaves look like the ones pictured here!

  17. Hi, I have leaves in my driveway, but was always told not to use them if they are white on the underside. Do you know if this is true? Also, are there any that will make you sick or not to use…like wild mushrooms…lol don’t want to wipe out my whole family in one dinner!!! LOL

    1. I have not seen grapeleaves with white undersides, so I wonder if these are the same leaves we use. If there’s any question about whether any leaves are the wild grape leaves used for this dish, forget them and go for jarred!

  18. We have successfully cloned my mother’s grape vine in our greenhouse and they are growing beautiful in family’s back yards. She bought it at Rutgers/Cook College in 1957 and the leaves are like silk. If anyone in North Jersey is interested in purchasing one, please go to the website http://www.landscapesbyMorgan.com and contact us.

  19. Can anyone please tell me what the type of grape vine these leaves are from? Or what species of grape they are? Or where to find the plants? Our family has had vines over 118 years old. They came from Lebanon when my great grandparent immigrated here. New people bought the property next door and did not like the vines that all the Lebanese neighbors would pull over every spring to harvest the leaves and grapes and they pulled all the vines our from our yard. My family have all pasted and I do not know where or how to get more vines. Can anyone direct me to them please?

  20. I live in a Lebanese dense community with many Lebanese restaurants and friends and family. Lately, it seems that most grape leaves I’m getting are very “veiny” and I’m having to pull long ‘stringy veins’ out of my mouth while eating. I don’t remember them being this way in the past. What gives? Is it the quality of the leaves? The way they’re prepared? I’m trying to pinpoint what may be causing this problem, as it’s killing an otherwise delicious dish! Any thoughts on the matter?

    1. I wonder what gives too! I asked around at Easter and many in my family agree. We’re thinking it may be that the leaves are picked later and later, and they get too large. And veiny. But still we rely on the jars and my go-to is Orlando brand.

      1. They get very stringy if not picked when fresh and tender in early spring. That’s why I pick,early and freeze.

  21. Do you have your own grapevine? I’m trying to think of a way to grow my own in the backyard. What do you recommend? Is it safe to use treated wood?

  22. Hello Maureen,
    I enjoyed coming across your website and look forward to visiting again. I was searching the Internet for instructions on how to best prune my vine that I’ve grown here in Little Rock that started from my aunt’s vine in Louisiana, and that one came from my grandmother who moved to the US from Damascus Syria. I’ve had my vine for four years and I’ve rolled thousands of dolmas from it! It’s becoming overgrown and I’m out of space. Any suggestions?

  23. Here in Southern New Jersey we have wild grapes growing all over the place. I have used the leaves of the ones that have small fruits that are mostly seed inside and they are good tasting and tender in the spring. The stems are red. I use them in making my salt brined Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles and I also make them stuffed with goat cheese. I blanch the leaves for a few seconds to soften them then wrap a slice of goat cheese generously laced with black pepper and olive oil with a leaf and place in a glass baking pan. I then drizzle them with a little more oil and bake at 350 for a few minutes. Serve warm with lemon juice. (From Ina Garten)

  24. This site is making me wish I was Lebanese! I came looking for using grape leaves, because there are beautiful leaves coming into my yard over the fence from my neighbors’ little vineyard and I was wondering if I could make some grape leaf rolls… But I find that alas they are the wrong kind of grapes and it’s even the wrong season! So I got a good laugh, and learned a lot!

  25. Does anyone know if we can use/eat, the wild or hybrid Muscatine, leaves found in Florida? Admitted they are small, so wraps will be difficult regardless.

  26. Great article. Southern Ontario is overgrown with vines. There are 3 local wild varities of vine with little to no fruit. I wanted to share my recipe, as I have experimented with quite a few versions and this one is the best. We cant stop eating them, grabbing them cold right out of the fridge. My wife is Lebanese Armenian. This is an authentic Armenian recipe excerpt from : https://www.thearmeniankitchen.com/2009/03/grape-leaves.html
    The difference is that we place them in pyrex baking dishes filling up to the top of the rolls with chicken broth, then drizzle with olive oil and plenty of fresh lemon juice. The secret is the lemon juice.

    Filling Ingredients:
    1 ½ c. chopped onions
    3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil
    1 ½ c. uncooked rice
    ¼ c. tomato sauce
    Dash salt
    ¼ c. pine nuts
    Dash each of allspice, cumin, paprika
    ½ c. chopped parsley
    1 Tbsp. lemon juice

    I wish I could send everyone a vine from our local trails 🙂 And remember you can just cut up the leaves and put them in any dish, it doesn’t have to be confined to Dolma.

  27. My Mother, her many Sisters and my Situ always kept a paring knife and a bag in the car in case grape leaves or dandelions were spotted!!!

  28. Live in Western Pa. Our grape leaf picking has been for generations. My Sitta used to preserve hers in large jars, tied in bundles and with a salt brine. Way too much work for my generation . We pick in groups, in laws , aunts , cousins ,who ever. Lol but you never share your picking patch. Those secrets stay in family group and besides it encourages next generations to expand picking range. After picking we wash in cold water in sink. Kind of like giving them a cold water bath. Now they are placed on drain board to drain excess water off.Next comes the sniping and stacking . Snip the stems off using kitchen scissors. As you do this ,sort by size until you get stack of 50 . Wrap each stack in Saran Wrap., then foil and place in freezer bag. Store in on flat container box like in freezer. When ready to use ,simply thaw, or nuke for few minutes. They come apart and roll so easy.Picking time in Western Pa. Begins Memorial week and ends forth of July. Leaves become tough and bugs get to them .

  29. All is see now is wild leaves growing on every tree, fence and along side the route I take to work. I am literally trembling with anticipation! I’m sure passerby’s are going to wonder what the HECK I am doing, but I am SO going to stop and pick me some of these leaves! stuffed grape leaves are one of my favorite Lebanese dishes. I can’t wait!

  30. Thank you for the post. Do you make grape leaf tea, too? When would you harvest the leaves for that? Thank you!

    1. Wow, I’ve never tasted grape leaf tea! Sounds very interesting! I’d harvest in spring, I suppose, same as for stuffing the leaves when they are most tender.

  31. Wow Maureen, your write up brings back great memories as a kid. I’m 57 now. My family would be driving through the Catskill Mountains countryside and there would be a sighting. STOP! On the side of the road, we’d all run out of the car and start picking. It was such a joy. Then mom would lovingly make a batch ASAP. When we had extras, she would blanch and freeze them. I’ll have to try freezing them fresh.
    Recently I planted a Merlot and Concord vine in my yard. I picked these varieties because the round leaf shape seemed good for rolling. But, now I am wondering where II can get a wild variety. Any ideas?

    1. Larry, love those memories! The only way I know to get the wild vine starter is to find them . . . wild. I wish I had a great source that would send us all starters!

  32. We just moved a couple months ago and low and behold I have a HUGE grape vine growing. It’s about 50′ long and the base stems are a good 6″ around!! Introduced my kids to the taste of wild raw leaves tonight. My daughter, 17, actually enjoyed it….my son, 7, wasn’t real fond, but ate it! Can’t wait to try some recipes!

  33. OMG Maureen, when I read this post, I thought I was reading a description of my own childhood! Picking grape leaves each spring was always a fun excursion with my mom and Tita! I found your blogpost during a search for the exact leaves I want to search for. Stuffed wild grape leaves have always been my favorite, but my momma has been gone long enough that some of the details are fading. Thanks for this post, and I’ll be lookingforwatd to catching up on your others.

  34. Do you know if you can use the muscadine leaves? They grow wild all over the South and so are easily found.

    1. My understanding is that it’s strictly the wild grape leaves that do not bear fruit that are good for making these!

  35. I actually have a question. I followed your directions for freezing the grapeleaves. But I can’t find any place on-line that tells how you use the frozen leaves. Before making rolls, do you put them in water or just how do you prepare the frozen leaves for ther rolls? Some of my leaves were larger than my hand. Will they still be ok to use? Thanks for your assistance and for posting how to freeze the grape leaves.

    1. Vicki, you would soften the frozen leaves in warm water just as you would fresh, though it will take a little longer to soften them and you would change out the water to keep it warm so the leaves will soften properly. The large leaves are okay–they can be less tender but still usable. Sometimes I cut them in half and roll them that way to make two smaller rolls rather than a big one.

  36. I would like to grow them in back of my house to make grape leaves. Where do I begin, these aren’t normal grape plants are they?

    1. Hello–these are wild grape leaf vines, and if you can find a vine then you can take a clipping and try to start your own. I have yet to do this myself; when I do I will post details on how-to!

  37. Hi Maureen,
    I noticed you mentioned that the grape leaves you picked had red stems. Are the veins in the back of the leaves also red? My mother-in-law recently told me that the grape leaves she and her sisters use have red veins. I’ve been on a hunt for some grape vines around the DC suburbs but only seem to have found vines with white stems and veins.
    Do the wild grape vines you pick the leaves from have any grapes on them at all? The vines I’ve seen have very small grapes that don’t look like they get large.

    Thanks! Really enjoy your site!

    1. Hi Angie–the veins are not red like the stems in my experience. I have never seen the wild grape leaves bear any fruit whatsoever, which makes me think the ones you’ve found are a different variety!

  38. I just picked some grape leaves and am thinking of stuffing them with chili I thickened with chia seeds and Quinoa. I was just looking to do something different with my chili and I saw people picking grape leaves so……

  39. I live in Johnstown, PA and married into a Lebanese family. I have been with my husband for 30 years now and the first thing I got when I married my husband was a Lebanese cookbook with a note saying you will learn to cook the food my son eats. Needless to say I have been cooking it since and have introduced many people to the joys of the food. My question is this… I have made stuffed grape leaves quite often using both jarred as well as fresh leaves when I am able to get them from my husbands aunts. I would love to grow them in our back yard to use but haven’t been able to find any to grow. His aunt seems to know where some are but is unwilling to share her source. What can I do? Does anyone live near here where I can get some root and vine to start with?? Thank you in advance

  40. Ok love this post and Geralyn’s post brought back similar memories of the meijer paper bags and picking dandelions also another item that has a very specific window for perfect picking – all that runs through my mind is the every year teaching about having to know WHERE your picking – cause as TaTa would say you don’t want any if a dog could have peed on them.

  41. I have wild mustang grapevines growing all over. Can these leaves, when tender, be used to make dolmas?

    1. Hi Kathy–I don’t know about the mustang grapevines for grapeleaf rolls. They don’t look like the wild grapeleaves traditionally stuffed and eaten…

  42. Just finished cooking my first batch of stuffed grape leaves made with my own grape leaves! What a thrill! Last fall, as I was cleaning out the overgrowth in our back yard, there were all these grape vines growing wild over the back fence . They were keeping out all of the sunlight, so I was pulling out as many as I could. I later thought about using the leaves.Yesterday, I looked over at the wild grape vines growing through and over my mulberry tree and started picking. I picked over 300–good-looking and good-sized leaves. Fortunately, I had instructions for canning them myself and managed to can 5 pints (50 leaves per pint). That just made me want more, so I went back out today and found enough for another four pints. I took the smaller ones and used them today for my stuffed grape leaves. I wasn’t sure about a recipe, so I made up my own: ground beef, rice, onion, dried tomato, dried mushrooms, and Kalamata black olives. It was tasty enough that my husband had second helpings! But, I think I am hankering for a recipe that includes some mint and lemon. I also want to try a recipe with a little sweetness to it (raisins, maybe, or some small slivers of apricot). I love the idea of cooking food from my own yard!

  43. We use grape leaves from our friend’s vineyard in our fermented sour pickles. The tannin in the leaves help keep the pickles nice and crispy without imparting an obvious flavor to the cucumbers..

  44. Wanted to learn difference between cooking with fresh and jarred leaves and found your site. Here in North Carolina wild Scupernong grapevines threaten to take over the world but the leaves are tasteless. So I planted some nursery stock..In desperation I picked some leaves of the Scupernongs and put them in a jar with the bath of the jarred leaves.
    Tomorrow i will cook a tubkha with both the fresh nursery leaves and the pickled Scupernongs Wish me luck. Thanks for your conversation.

  45. For people wishing to start their own grapevine in their yard, do it the way your grandparents did. Find a wild bush, then take one of the branches and bury it so that one or two nodes are in the soil, leaving the end exposed to sunlight. If you wait until the next season, you’ll find the vine has rooted, then simply did it up and take it home and plant it. We frequently do this with our vines which have become too old, hence we start new vines every few years.

  46. Hi I live in Clearwater Florida what is the name of the grape leaf vine for picking leaves for Armenian Sarma. Is it just called wild grape leaf and where can I buy the vine to grow on my fence? I need the wild grape vine but have no idea who sells it thanks Stephen

    1. Hi Stephen–I don’t know of any wild grape leaf vines available for sale…I sure hope to be able to share them some day! All the vines anyone I know has is either truly wild or transplanted from friend or family yards.

  47. We used to pick ours every 4th of July with your cousin Rosemary Abowd Schwendler and her husband Tom at their cottage on Lake Erie. Now that we moved to Albany from Buffalo we no longer travel there for the weekend. We thought of them yesterday when we picked around 200. That’s not enough for the year so we’ll be looking for another spot next weekend.

    1. Hello Cindy! How great that you picked with Rosemary and tom and now have the grapeleaf-picking fever! I hope you find many more to store up for the year.

  48. I grew up with a grapevine in my backyard. When I moved away my former neighbor managed to get a vine started for me to plant in my new yard. My neighbor spliced the stem of the grapevine by the node, filled a small plastic bag with potting soil, dipped the cut end in rooting hormone and wrapped the bag filled with soil and moistened around the cutting. When roots appeared he planted it in a clay pot until it grew to about 12 inches. I then planted it in my yard.
    I tried the same process to start another plant but was not successful. I was able to start another plant by laying cuttings dipped in rooting compound in plant flats filled with soil. Do not leave in direct sunlight and keep moist. After they developed roots (and not all did), I planted it in the garden and have another thriving vine.

  49. This was a lovely explanation on grape leaves – my children, nieces, nephews and neighborhood children have all gone with me to pick leaves. Have created memories they still talk about years later.
    To avoid freezer burn – I stack my leaves in bunches of 50 (all the same size) fold in half lengthwise and put in special bags to be vacumn sealed – they last for more than a year – no freezer burn. Have even used leaves two years old and they are perfect. No boiling – I am going picking tomorrow as it is going to be a cooler day and the spot (a secret) is ready. Keep bags and a small ladder in the trunk of my car. Always put a label in the bag as to date, size and where picked. Another thing I do is separately pack about 30 extra large (huge) leaves per pkg. to line the pot and put between each layer – and top. Regards, Diane

    1. Your vacuum sealing is a great idea and a sure-fire way to keep the leaves fresher longer in the freezer. Two years! That’s wonderful. Thanks for sharing that and your picking stories too, Diane!

  50. Thanks for you article. I have about 8 acres being taken over by wild grapevines. I have one very old grapevine that lives in an old oak tree and the base of the vine is literally 36 inches around. I am thinking it may be one of the biggest here in Florida. Its incredible. I do like to boast that such a vine exist on my property, And I do/will protect it.
    I do eat the tips of the grape vines raw in salads. And I do harvest the grapes as long as I can get to them before the coons and birds and foxes get them.
    I do not have experience cooking the leaves but I do want to try this. I forage on my land quite a bit and want to include these grapevines in my menu.
    Hope it works.
    Thanks again, Tracy

    1. Wow, you are a great cook with the grape leaves–I’m interested in your use of them raw in salads. Sounds like you have quite an abundance of them there…lucky you…

  51. i made a little vinyard with several varieties. i have one that is a white grape and is really doing good. i was going to use the until i read your comment that they have to be wild. tne only wild grapes we have are mustangs and these leaves are fuzzy. have you found a source for wild ones yet.

  52. Our back yard grape vine is not producing as much as we’d like, so, I need to find a place to buy fresh leaves, not in jars, but, fresh. Do you know where I can purchase fresh leaves? Thanks

    1. I wish there was a source for this Rosalie. If I ever find one (or become one myself) I will proclaim it loud and clear!

  53. I would love a small supply of fresh frozen leaves to insert with my cucumber pickles. Can anyone help out? I am in Oklahoma.

    1. I want to try grape leaves in my pickles this year, thank you for reminding me Leslie! I wish I had some frozen to send to you!

    2. i could send you some!
      i bought a house that came with an asparagus patch and a wild grape vine
      i knew what to do with the asparagus, but that wild and always growing out of control grape vine that never produced any thing (but a wreath or two in the fall)
      thanks to this post i now know what to do with my “jungle plant”
      i tried the first time yesterday and added a grape leaf to my pickles…..
      oh the possibilities THANK YOU MAUREEN!

  54. Hi Maureen,
    I would like to know where you can buy the wild grape vines? Also, how can you tell which ones are the wild vines? Can you take a branch and plant it? Will it grow?
    Great information about the difference of the vines. I have read about many recipes for grape leaves and nobody writes about the kind of leaves we must use. Thanks Again!

    1. Hello Maria Elena, and thank you for your great questions…you are not alone in wanting to purchase wild grape vines. I have not found a vendor for them, and am seriously considering finding a way to sell them myself so we can all enjoy fresh vine leaves from our own yards. The wild vines are distinguished by having no fruit, and the leaves are distinguished as noted and pictured above. Fruit-bearing vines have thicker, tougher leaves. I believe to transplant the vine you need to get the root, not just the branch. There will be more from me on this someday, some way!

  55. DEAR MAUREEN,

    I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WHEN MY SON REFERRED ME TO YOUR WEB SITE TODAY. WHILE I GREW UP IN CHICAGO, WHERE WE WENT OUT TO THE FOREST PRESERVES TO PICK GRAPE LEAVES OR ALSO ALONG ROADWAYS, BEFORE ALL THE DEVELOPENT TOOK PLACE IN THE LAST 50 OR MORE YEARS. I AM OF ASSYRIAN HERITAGE AND THE ASSYRIANS ARE GREAT IN THE COOKING AND PREPARATION OF NUMEROUS FOODS OF THEIR ETHNICITY. I HAVE LIVED IN NO. CALIFORNIA SINCE 1946. EARLY IN MY LIFE HERE, I WOULD TRY TO TALK VINTNERS HERE IN THE WINE COUNTRY INTO ALLOWING ME TO PICK A FEW LEAVES FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT VINES, AFTER ALL THEY HAD PLENTY.
    HOWEVER THEY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I DIDN’T HAVE GOOD SENSE. LATER, I PURCHASED A THOMPSON SEEDLESS GRAPEVINE FOR MY YARD, AND I HAVE ENJOYED MANY MEALS FROM THIS VINE. WHEN I PRUNED THIS VINE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, I USED ONE OF THE STRAIGHT SECTIONS OF THE VINE I TRIMMED TO SUPPORT SOME FLOWERS. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, THESE STRAIGHT SECTIONS USED TO SUPPORT THE FLOWERS PUT OUT ROOTS AND NOW I HAVE 4 GRAPE VINES, ALL FROM THE ORIGINAL NURSERY BOUGHT PLANT, PROBABLY ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO.
    I HAVE SHARED MY LEAVES WITH OTHERS WHO DEPEND ON STORE BOUGHT JARS OF LEAVES. IN THE SPRING IS THE BEST TIME TO PICK THESE LEAVES, HOWEVER, IF I REMOVE THE OLDER LEAVES DURING THE SUMMER, NEW ONES COME IN THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR DOLMAS. PEOPLE WHO ADMIRE MY GRAPEVINES ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN WE USE THEM FOR PREPARING AND ENJOYING EATING GOURMET-TYPE DOLMAS.

    1. Esther, thank you for your wonderful comment. I’m fascinated by your Thompson seedless grapevine and am going to look into that for myself! Please stay in touch and keep me posted on all of your delicious assyrian cooking!

  56. Hello, I was hoping to not waste my grape vines leaves and use them for making stuffed vine leaves, but I know see that I should have picked them earlier. Does it really matter if I picked a few now it won’t make anyone ill will it? Really desperate to try them out and it won’t get leaves or grapes like this by June…..

    2013-09-29 07.13.07.jpg Don’t know if you can see the pictures?

    2013-09-29 07.13.07.jpg

    best wishes, Helen

    1. Hi Helen–I can’t see the photos here, but I don’t think picking later in the season is a matter of whether the leaves are edible or not, just a matter of how tough they are. If the vine is producing grapes, though, those are not the edible leaves used for stuffed grape leaves. Those leaves come from wild vines that don’t produce fruit.

  57. I found your website while searching for fresh grape leaves. When we were growing up, my grandmother had her own grapevine so we had access to the best leaves. Sadly, that time has passed and I am now left having to purchase grape leaves in a jar.
    I just sat down to roll some, and the quality and condition of the leaves in the jar is abysmal. Most of the leaves are tough and badly torn…so few from each jar are actually useable!!! It really has taken the joy out of making this dish for me.
    I was looking at the leaves on your website and that is exactly what we were used to growing up. Beautiful, thin, gorgeous leaves. I grew up in New York (Brooklyn) and my grandmothers grapevine thrived in her backyard.
    So, I have two questions for you: do you have any experience with growing grapevines in southern Florida? I wonder if the climate down here is too warm in the winter.
    Second question would be…Do you have any idea where I can purchase (or pick) leaves like I saw on your site. I live in Boca Raton, FL and have not been able to get a handle on this – so frustrating!!!
    Thank you for your time and ay advice or information you can pass along would be greatly appreciated.

    1. Hello Janice–thanks so much for this. You are not alone! I’ve had so many people ask me how to get a starter for a wild vine for their yard that I’m thinking of seeing what I can do to make this happen. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on progress. I don’t know about the wild grape leaf vines in Florida, but as I research I will find out if they can grow there. We must keep our leaves alive and thriving all over the country!

      1. Thanks for your reply. You have inspired me to also do some research on growing vines down here in southern Florida. If I come up with anything, I will pass it along. Will also look forward to hearing about what you discover. I agree, we must keep our leaves alive!!! Thank you.
        Janice

  58. Just had to let you know my best batch of grape leaves came from Cross Village,yup, your part of the country,picked after the 4th, so tender, love your posts.

  59. When I first got married, I would used to take my family to the cemetery to pick grape leaves as I did when I was a child. Now we have grape leaves growing and taking over our yard and our neighbor’s. I have a question. Near August our grape leaves have bumps on the back side of the leaves. Do you know what they are?

  60. Thanks so much for the info. I was sure what I had were grape leaves but got spooked because there were no grapes. I didn’t know some vines didn’t produce fruit. Can’t wait to stuff them!

  61. In the Palestinian Territories , stuffed grape leaves are called “Warak Dawali” in Arabic and are stuffed with parsley rice and ground beef or lamb.

  62. I loved the story of picking wild grape leaves. Though I am at least a generation older than you, I remember well accompanying my Lebanese immigrant grandmothers to just the kind of roadside vines you describe to pick leaves. And i remember feeling the eyes of passersby looking askance at these weird folks. I grew up in Akron, Ohio. Once I went with my paternal grandmother to the Cuyahoga Gorge Park where we found bagfuls of leaves. And, discovered by a park policeman, we had to surrender them all. My grandmothers are long passed, but the memory is very vivid. Thanks for rekindling it.

  63. It’s this season again , everyone getting excited about those emerald colored tender leaves, waking memories …look at all the emotional responses !
    And to complete the stories of delicious grape leave dishes you all should make sure to pick some unripened grapes , ” husrum ” , and nestle one in between the stuffed leaves during cooking . This will give this dish the most amazing sour taste , that not even a generous helping of the usual lemon juice can compete with , yummy

  64. Have only just recently discovered your site, and have been enjoying it immensely. I am blessed with having a grapevine right next door all to myself and plan to go pick tomorrow morning. My father’s mother’s grapevine was brought over from the old country, and its purported claim to fame was that its leaves were green on both sides. The vines next door have never been maintained, and there seem to be two varieties: one with leaves that are green on one side, white on the other; and one whose leaves are green on both sides. I have only ever picked the green-on-both-sides leaves, and those vines are green grapes; the other leaves are on vines producing red/purple grapes. I didn’t know that the wild vines grow no grapes at all!

    Keep up the great work! You’ve really been inspiring me to cook more of the food of my childhood.

    1. How special Mary, thank you! I’m fascinated by the varieties of leaves…and lucky you, a vine all your own right next door. Enjoy them!

  65. Great information on getting just the right leaves. I have a couple spots that I haunt during this week always with a shopping bag in the car for a quick stop. I really should do it with my nylons rolled just below my knee in my house dress and I would really look like my Zitto.
    Thanks Maureen

  66. Love this idea and the story. How is it that I live in California and haven’t picked grape leaves yet. I see wild grape all the time. So glad to know how to store it too! I wonder if it is too late in the season here…We already have a few cucumbers and melons!

  67. Maureen, thank you for the reminder!! My grandmother (from Damascus, Syria) lived with us when I was growing up, so I was lucky to have her wonderful cooking whenever I wanted, and her grape leaves were one of my favorites! My heart lit up when I saw your post:) I just learned how to make grapes leaves the way she did – with lots of lemon juice – from my aunt, and can’t wait to pick this year’s roadside crop and get cooking!

    1. How great that you are making grape leaves the way your grandmother did! Thanks for being here with us!

  68. Maureen, what beautiful pics! We had two cultivated vines in our back yard specifically for cooking–each produced about one bunch of grapes per year–deep purple–and I was the only one interested–but I was just five and the whole world was wondrous! My Mother and I would go out back, and she would teach me exactly which ones to pick, and yes, the satisfying snap of taking the leaf at the base from the vine and not tearing the leaf making it almost always unusable. Thank you for these endearing memories. They always take me back to my dear Mother–the best of times–being a child under her tutelage and love and care.

  69. Your grape leaves look perfect. Just checked our vine out back (climbing among the forest of trees) , and it looks as though someone has taken some equipment and cleaned out the brush…thus eliminating many of my precious vines. Therefore, dear cousin, where oh where are you picking? I need to invade that vine, unless it is in someones private property.
    Mom had one in her back yard climbing all over her fence. We always had enough for the whole family. I took most of my stash to Florida and used them there. Now I need to replenish.
    Those leaves you posted are amazingly perfect and all the perfect size.
    Thanks

    1. Janet, how upsetting to lose your vine. You won’t be happy to know that the vine these leaves came from is downstate, in Lansing…. We’re going to get our leaves up north one way or another, one of these days!!

  70. My parents moved into the back of the family grocery store after their parents went on to their new home. Out back is (still) a 100 foot grapevine that today yields leaves up to 8 inches across (though the small, young ones are used for cooking). That is in Wisconsin (La Crosse).

    I have lived in Maryland for over over 50 years and many times have tried to transplant a root from home to establish my own grape vine. Last time the newly planted root really grew, up to 20 feet across in the first year. So I added side extensions to the trellis and did a lot of bragging. It is on a clay hill and has been going downhill ever since. I may transplant it to a more level and fertile spot, it is still alive but only about 1 foot across today.

    This spring when trimming our road out to the mailboxes I noticed a wild vine. It was about 3/8 inch across, perhaps 12 feet long, had traveled along other tree limbs and looked good. I dug around, found where it went into the ground, dug where it connected to a 1 inch root, followed the root both ways finally cutting it out, about 4 foot of 1 inch root. I figured I had it made. I planted it, watered it, watched the green leaves sort of survive, pruned it and hoped for the best. It has slowly wilted, the leaves are now dried up, I have no idea if the root is alive and perhaps will come to life again next spring or not. As long as I kept the ground soaked the leaves stayed green and a few new sprouts even came out. When I stopped watering it so heavily the leaves dried up.

    Also found a 6 leaf very small wild plant that I transplanted and it is alive but I fear will not grow fast enough to yield much, after all I will be 80 in December, but it is still alive, so am I thus far.

    So this business of growing your own grapevine is touchy. My brother keeps saying, “use horse manure” which I have not tried. My wife says “you water it too much”. One year I clipped a bunch of long vines and kept the cut stems in water hoping they would root. They stayed green for weeks but didn’t show any signs of rooting.

    In the back of the pantry is a jar of grape leaves, now and then my wife Bev buys those and makes Lebanese grape rolls. But I wonder why the vine that grew so well the first year slowly degenerated over the next 4 or 5 years. I did try to mildly fertilize them, apparently they may be touchy about fertilizer. The vine we used as young children is still growing, the property changed hands and they can’t kill it (they don’t want it there) and it grows on and on.

    My wife keeps saying she will buy a vine from the local nursery. I tell her wild vines are always used (but didn’t know why, thanks Maureen). She often repeats her favorite joke “if you Lebanese are so smart why didn’t you wait for the grapes”. I never laugh at her jokes. 🙁

    1. Wow Jerry. The trials and tribulations of our vine leaves. And what lengths we go to for them. You are dedicated, and you deserve a thriving vine at home!!

    2. Hi Maureen and Jerry,

      I only learned to cook with grape leaves a few years ago after tasting some delicious dishes at a local restaurant. I have four different grapes growing in our backyard and it never occurred to me to look for wild grapes. The leaves are a bit tougher, unless you pick them in the spring when they are new. However, I think they’re still quite delicious. Although next spring I am going to find some wild grapes and try those leaves because your article has piqued my curiosity, Maureen.

      Jerry, I hope you get that wild grapevine you want. However, please don’t discount growing your own purchases from a nursery. At least you’ll have the pleasure of growing and harvesting them! If you harvest them in early spring, they’ll be tender.

      Maureen, I know I’m making this comment serve multiple functions and I hope you’ll forgive me for this. If you do figure out how to get wild grapevines growing, I’d like to purchase some!

      Thanks for a wonderful article and great photos!

  71. Oh my gosh, Mom always kept Meijer grocery bags in the trunk of the car because you never know when you will be driving and spot some grape leaves that you have to pick! It cracks me up now that it never seemed odd to me that she would just pull over on the side of the road and we would grab a bag and go picking.

      1. Yes we Lasher’s were quite the grape leave picking family – as soon as I read your opening paragraph, many memories came to mind. Funny . . . NOW!

    1. When I was very young, my Mom froze her grapeleaves, but when I was 10 or 11 she started making a brine and canning them. They kept much better in the brine, but for the life of me I can’t remember how to.prepare it that way. If anyone can tell me how to make the brine, I would be forever grateful.

      1. Mickey that’s very interesting. My family in Lebanon canned their fresh leaves too. I’m going to work on this; I suspect it’s a simple brine similar to that used for lift here.

        1. Hello. I heard there was two different colors of steams on grape leaves. Red or green. And I wasn’t sure which one was safe to eat, ontill I read this article. Thank you.

      2. I followed what a Palestinian lady did on YouTube and so far so good. She just folded her stacks and stuffed them into a wide mouthed jar, added a very salty brine and kept stuffing, pushing hard and adding more brine to keep covered. In the end she incerted 2 popsicle sticks or chop sticks just under the shoulder of the jar and crossed them to hold the leaves beneath the brine level. That’s it. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

      1. The back of the leaf is very similar to the front in color, just a little lighter. The veins are pronounced on the back of the leaf. Great question and I’ll post a photo of the back of the leaf!

  72. Ahh…thanks for reminding me, it is the first week in June that we pick in the Cleveland area. I am watching the grandkids today, guess what we will be doing…