Skip to main content

What a Grape Harvest!

Last Wednesday we picked the Concord grapes. Actually, my extended family picked the grapes. I scurried around getting out jars and sugar and lids and canners.

We carefully picked all the grapes off their stems, removing the spiders and ladybugs and less-than-desirable grapes at the same time. We did this outside, to minimize the mess in my kitchen. When a large bowl was finished, I let the extended family continue their sorting job, and I went inside. I washed the grapes.


I put about 1/3 cup of sugar in the bottom of each jar, and enough boiling water to dissolve it. I then filled the jar with grapes, and added enough water to come up to the "shoulder" of the jar. I leave some extra room when I can grape juice (and that's what this post is about--I guess I forgot to specify that). Otherwise I have purple mess outside of the jars. I added sterilized lids and rings.

I pressured canned them for eight minutes at five pounds of pressure. I rotated three canners so that I could finish before the year 2010. I let each canner "rest" 25 minutes before opening to depressurize and cool a bit.


67 jars. Not bad! SO glad I have help...


When we open them, we just dump the contents of the jar through a strainer that is the same size as our juice pitcher. Let the grapes drain for a few minutes, discard the contents of the strainer, and enjoy!
Labels:

Comments

  1. BrendaOctober 13, 2009 at 8:53 PM

    Wow! I'll bet they're delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AlwenOctober 14, 2009 at 9:17 AM

    Wow, that's easy! Mom cooks and seeds them with one of those tomato-seeder/fruit crusher things. (Okay, I have no idea what it's called: It has small holes and a blade you turn with a center crank.) Lots of work. But this looks as easy as canning blackberries. Now I wish I had gotten to the grapes before the frost, raccoons, and coyotes did.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 15, 2009 at 9:11 PM

    The grape juice and process sounds good. We raised grapes for years and the mess we had trying to make jel, I gave up on them.

    Ellyn Jackson

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that ...
132 comments
Read more

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff...
1 comment
Read more

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have...
45 comments
Read more