Concord Grapes, Part 1

Last evening, I spoke to my good friend and neighbor, D, who told me it was time to pick grapes. They have a beautiful grape arbor at their house. Every year, they share the wealth with us (Thank you!!). I sneaked away with my tub and my scissors and clipped my heart out, hardly making a dent at one end of the arbor. Standing underneath it was heaven. The smell is incredible- you just have to stop and inhale deeply every once in awhile. And I did.

Once home, I washed and pulled the grapes from their stems, weighed them and
set them in the fridge to be dealt with today.

Jamey didn't have to go to class today, so he was home to help at the crucial stages- capping and screwing on lids and manning the canner as I filled jars. Also, in the midst of this, neighbor D's husband came over to power wash the dirt and grime that had attached itself to our house under the front and back porches. He owns his own painting business- he and his crew painted our house soon after we moved in, turning it from an old, dingy-looking house into a house that looks fresh, clean and loved (we do the loving part- he made it look fresh and clean). The kids enjoyed watching him and we are enjoying the clean-looking house. If you ever need a painter, let me know- he does amazing work (and may be as much of a perfectionist as I am:-)).


Why all the little jars?! Is that what you are thinking? WELL. My baby sister is getting married next September and for wedding favors, she wants little jars of jam! Isn't that cool?! Anyway, I volunteered to do them for her. She needs about 150 4oz. jars. I'll be canning grape jam (not jelly- I think it's a waste of the yummy pulp to strain all that good stuff out. Don't worry, sister- I didn't leave the seeds in), as well as strawberry and peach. Pretty fall colors (purple, red and yellow), no?

46 jars. I'm almost a third of the way done:-).

Then, we did 5 quarts and 1 pint of grape juice concentrate (2 cups grapes and
1 cup sugar per quart). And jam for us- 4 pints and 12 half-pint jars.

And that's just Concord Grapes, Part 1. If history repeats itself, there will be more to come.
Whooo hoooo!

Pin It