Grapes

We got the grapes done on Saturday. 60 pounds of 'em. Drinking antioxidant-rich grape juice during the winter months is not only a treat, but an immune booster to boot. It is good for you.

Instead of last years' wash and pluck method (in which you add 3/4 cup of sugar for every four cups of water (boiled for five minutes). Pour into jars, adding about 1 1/2 cups grapes per jar). Process for 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Let cure for several weeks and strain grapes when ready to drink.) I decided to use Matt's handy dandy fruit press for the job.

Last years' work was tedious, I recall. Not as tedious as peeling and seeding them, but tedious enough.

All hands were on deck to help.

Fresh tastes, all around...

...which made this little ones' hands keep reaching for more juice instead of helping with the grapes.

Eventually, that had to be nixed.

We used a clean sheet for the "strainer", just as we do with apples. But with the grapes, there was still a lot of squirtage. (yes, I made that word up.) Methinks we need to modify the design a bit, making a shield of some sort. Or just plan on showers for all afterward.


Last year I had 56 pounds of grapes and made 56 quarts of juice. But, with that canning method, most of the jar was water.

This year, 60 pounds of grapes yielded just-shy of 22 pints ( more without the fresh tastes taken) of pure juice concentrate. YUM-O. Pure goodness (and saves space in my ever-filling canning cupboard!)