| I’m so excited that my August guest post is from one of my closest friends, Brandy. Brandy and I go back to high school……and yes, she’s still sticking around. I think she likes my sense of humor. She’s going to give you a great tutorial on how to make grape juice – because grapes are starting to be ready! Thanks Brandy. 🙂 |
Hi! I’m Brandy and I live on a little lot in town with a handsome man who tends my garden. We’ve grown varying amounts of our own food over the years and while we have a new baby, this year is proving to be no exception. Grapes are in season right now, so we’ve made grape juice to brighten our coming Winter days. Here’s how we did it:Find a place where you can get free grapes, be it your own vines or that of a friend. Free is wonderful. Using a pair of scissors, clip the grape bunches from the vines. Try to choose the ones with the best-looking grapes to save yourself some work later on. Watch out for drunk bees. Gather as many grapes as you can stand. |
Back home, pull only the good grapes from the stems. Be mindful of grapes with small holes in them as this usually means a little critter has taken residence inside. I do not like to eat bugs or make bug juice on purpose.Rinse your grapes well and put them in a big pot. Cover them with water and heat on medium to a simmer, about 190 degrees. A candy thermometer really helps with this part. Keep at 190 degrees for about ten minutes. |
Once your grapes are soft, mash them gently with a potato masher. Place the grapes in a colander over a large bowl and strain out the skins and seeds.Pour this grape juice through several layers of cheesecloth or a jelly bag over yet another bowl. This gets out the pulp and helps to make your grape juice clear and bright. And merry. Since you will feel very merry come January when you pop open a can of juice you made.While the juice is draining, prepare your canning supplies. Fill your boiling water bath canner and get it heating on high. It takes a long time to come to a boil, so you may wish to start it while your grapes are simmering. Get your jars washed and sterilize them. Wash your lids and bands. Place the lids in a small pot of water so that they can heat up. Never boil those lids! By now, a large part of your juice has drained through the cloth or bag. You may be thinking about how it will take forever and you want to make lunch or go on a drive. Here’s a little tip: get another jelly bag or cheesecloth and pour the juice the remains in the other bag or cloth into the new one. The old one is backed up with pulp, so starting fresh will speed up the process. Reheat your juice in your big pot back up to 190 degrees. You may wish to sweeten your juice at this time, about 1/4 cup sugar to a quart of juice. Heat for five minutes. |
Ladle your grape juice into your clean hot jars, leaving 1/2″ at the top of the jar. Wipe the top of the jar to ensure it is free of any pulpy bits and place your hot lid on top. Tighten your band around the jar.Place in your boiling water bath, being certain there is one inch of water on top of the jars. Return the water to a boil. Process fifteen minutes for pints or quarts, adding time as needed for your elevation. I live at 2300′, so I add five minutes.Carefully remove hot jars and allow to cool for 24 hours. Check for seal and remove bands. Wash off jars to remove any stickiness and write the date on top. Squirrel away for Winter. Enjoy! Instructions inspired by various versions of the Ball Blue Book (One of Stacy’s favorites too!). |
Brandy and her family take the impossible way on their little urban homestead in the foothills of Appalachia. They enjoy hiking, knitting (or watching mama knit), minimalist parenting, babywearing, cosleeping and sticking it to The Man. You can visit Brandy at Young in the Mountains. |
About Stacy
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So how long will this keep.? Do you freeze it..? Is it concentrated then..? Do u mix with water before you drink it..?
It’s the last paragraph – and no, it’s not concentrated. <3
I was searching for a site to get the guidelines on how to make grape juice for my family and me when I came across yours. Your guidelines are easy and simple. thanks for creating this site.
It is always better to drink the grape juice without any sweetener as this helps in retaining the necessary nutrients that your body needs.
Another important thing to remember is that you need to drink the fruit juice made out of a juicer as soon as you can to avoid the juice losing its nutritional value.
Since this is a pure and natural fruit juice, it won’t last for 24 hours and will no longer be good to drink.
Thanks for the comment.
— Julie, HH Team
I love white grape juice only. so can I use the same method to make white grape juice??
Don’t see why not – you might research online to make sure it doesn’t need any tweaks. 🙂
So, is it okay not to add any sugar but still can for posterity?
Should be.
Great post! Our grapes are almost ready and now I know what to do with them this year 🙂
That looks so good. My granny told me their grapes were ready and to come and get them…guess where I’m going this week 🙂