Now... What Do I Do With the Grapes ?

[Random Rabbit]

After about 10 years of being planted...DH's grapevines decided to produce this year. Oh My have they ever ! I went out today to pick * some * and ended up with the load pictured below. That isn't even a quarter of the grapes out there ! I figured that the birds would have picked them off as they try with my blueberries. Guess not.

Has anyone here made homemade jelly or jam from fresh grapes ??? The directions in the Ball Blue Book are confusing to me... i need Simple ! Thank You for suggestions.

 

[fuzzy9]

Those look wonderful!! My hubby would love to make jam out of those! He uses the recipe on the back of the sure-gel box, but we use the lower sugar recipe, otherwise they are just so sweet......to sweet for my taste. It might be on the flyer that comes in the sure-gel, I can't remember.

 

[MaggieJ]

The instructions here look very straighforward:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can7_jam_jelly.html

These pages should be right on target for you:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/extract_juice.html
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/jel ... ectin.html

Good luck! What a lovely harvest!

If you have too many grapes, consider making some wine with the rest.

 

[Random Rabbit]

The part in the directions that looses me is ... How do i Separate the skins from the rest of the grape. I keep picturing squeezing Each grape to 'spit' out the pulp , lol. Wonder if my widest screen on the food mill would do it....

__________ Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:21 pm __________

 

[MaggieJ]

Use a jelly bag. The juice runs out overnight. Drive in a nail above a doorway and put the container on a chair to raise it up... Helps prevent splashing.

This is the part about getting the juice out:

Extracting the Juice

Place fruit into a flat-bottomed saucepan and add cold water. For apples and other hard fruits, add up to 1 cup per pound of fruit. For berries and grapes, use only enough water to prevent scorching. Crush soft fruits to start the flow of juice.
Bring to a boil on high heat. Stir to prevent scorching.
Reduce heat.
Grapes and berries need 10 minutes or less to cook until soft. Apples and other hard fruits may need 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the firmness of the fruit. Do not overcook; excess boiling will destroy the pectin, flavor and color.
Pour everything into a damp jelly bag and suspend the bag to drain the juice. The clearest jelly comes from juice that has dripped through a jelly bag without pressing or squeezing.
If a fruit press is used to extract the juice, the juice should be restrained through a jelly bag.

NOTE: Juicy berries may be crushed and the juice extracted without heating.

 

[akane]

I don't know about jelly but to make grape juice out of ours with the skins removed I just boiled it (can't remember how long) and then dumped the whole mess over several layers of cheesecloth on top of a pot and left it until morning. The pits and skins did not boil down so they were left on top of the cloth and all the juice ran out. I did some blackberry juice the same way and mixed the 2. The entire property was surrounded by blackberries so it was easy to get enough. It tasted wonderful but I couldn't drink it all so I froze some. It did not freeze normal though. It actually came out jelly consistency when frozen rather than ice cube consistency. Never solved that mystery.

 

[Random Rabbit]

I don't know about jelly but to make grape juice out of ours with the skins removed I just boiled it (can't remember how long) and then dumped the whole mess over several layers of cheesecloth on top of a pot and left it until morning. The pits and skins did not boil down so they were left on top of the cloth and all the juice ran out. I did some blackberry juice the same way and mixed the 2. The entire property was surrounded by blackberries so it was easy to get enough. It tasted wonderful but I couldn't drink it all so I froze some. It did not freeze normal though. It actually came out jelly consistency when frozen rather than ice cube consistency. Never solved that mystery.

The Blackberry / Grape juice sound absolutely Yummy !!! Might have to try.....

 

[curlysue]

I make jelly and juice.1 cup too 1 and a half cups grapes, raw dump them in a quart jar add boiling water and can in a water bath canner.1/4 cup sugar per quart or to taste.i have organic grape juice.i have made this for years.

 

[Jack]

A piece of cotton string from the bottom of the bag to the collection bucket gives it a way down and prevents splashing.
I forget how we made grape juice (canned) but I do remember that it involved boiling water, some HUGE stovetop contraption and alot of grapes, when the juice started coming boy-oh you had to be johnny on the spot with the mason jars and it was HOT if you messed up.

 

[Random Rabbit]

We ended up with 8 half pint jars of jam. I took Akane's advice and we cooked up the remainder. Put it into cheesecloth and let it drip all night. This morning we have some of the Best tasting graoe juice i've every had ! What a difference from store bought !!!

Thank You All... who offered suggestions. Maybe next year i won't feel quite so intimitated by this project !

 

[Noahbunny]

Rabbits like to chew on grape vines, so cut some for them.