Recipe: Making dolmades from your friendly neighborhood grape leaves

Time spent on this dish will reap rewards in diner smiles - even without the avgolemono sauce

Early summer is a time of suspense, as I wait for the grape vines luxuriating under the sun to grow leaves big enough for a pan of dolmades.

These finger-sized rice rolls take a couple hours to make, but the reactions from diners make the time worthwhile. Plus, the wrappers are free. Grape vines grow in suburban yards and rural fields. 

They’re a healthy foraged green - unless sprayed with herbicide. Those are easy enough to avoid. New York State Department of Transportation and municipalities sometimes use herbicides to knock down greenery along roads they maintain, but most home and field vines are spray-free.