8.10.14

SUPER EASY DIY GRAPE JUICE

 I went to visit my grandmother this past weekend and before I left she made sure I plucked a big bag full of perfectly ripe organic concord grapes off her 42 year old vines.  I had originally thought about attempting wine but after a quick Googling and I decided that grape juice was way more manageable.  I also hadn't had grape juice in a LONG time.  
 How To: 
There really is no need to crush the grapes like I Love Lucy.  Just pick off all the ripe grapes, give them a rinse and put them in a big pot with enough water to cover them by an inch or so.  Bring the pot to a simmer and let it be for about 15 minutes or until the grapes look nothing like grapes anymore.  Watch out that it doesn't boil over.  
 Once the grapes are cooked start straining them first through a colander and then through cheesecloth.
 I actually saved the grape mash that didn't go through the cheesecloth and ate it with butter on some toast. Yummmmm


The Concord grapes were so sweet that I didn't have to add any honey or sugar.   I thought it best that I try not to drink All this juice before it went bad so I opted for canning most of it. 
 I prepped a big pot of boiling water for the canning and threw the lids in for a couple minutes for sterilizing. 

 If you don't have a canning setup all you have to do is submerge a cloth at the bottom of the pot and set the jars on top.  This will keep them from making direct contact with the pots bottom and from rattling too much.  The water should be deep enough so that when you submerge the jars they are covered by 1-3 inches of water.  



Let the jars boil for about 10 minutes.  If you don't have special canning tongs just ladle out enough water so that the tops of the jars are exposed and you can grab them with a potholder or rag to pull them out.



Definitely make sure you drink some of the fresh grape juice nice and warm!! Cause it's freaking delicious!! Also it stains so watch out ;)

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