My grandma gave me a big jar of grape juice that she made. It was so good. I thought it was even better when I found out how easy it was to make. She got the recipe out of a Mennonite cook book. I grew up in an area with a lot of Mennonite and Amish families.
All you have to do is put 1 cup of washed grapes (concord grapes are the best, but harder to find off season) in a quart jar. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and fill the jar with boiling water. Stir with a silver spoon to dissolve sugar and seal.
I'm not sure how long you have to wait til you can drink it, the recipe didn't say. I guess when it looks purple, drink up! There is some magic with that whole silver spoon bit... not sure what the deal with that is. I don't even own a silver spoon. I think my grandma used a regular spoon and nothing horrible happened. For sure, when it is grape season in the Finger Lakes next fall I will be making several jars.
that looks sooo good!! I will definitly have to try that
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ReplyDelete-Rebecca
I think the silver has something to do with the chemical reaction to the acids of the grapes....then again,maybe not
ReplyDeleteAcidic foods like juices or tomato sauce will react with aluminum pans or spoons. It may result in an off-flavor in the food. Silver is very non-reactive (and back in ye olde grape juice making days they didn't have stainless steel or plastic)
ReplyDeleteHow cool!
ReplyDeleteSure, it costs a little more than, oh, I don't know....buying premade grape juice. But I'm sure it's worth it....ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThere's just something cool about homemade items, especially when grandmas make 'em.
mmm, mmm! ?
ReplyDeleteI made grape juice this summer from the grapes I grow in my yard, using the same recipie. Instead of using boiling water though, I use water hot enough to dissolve the sugar, and then can them in boiling water the same way you would tomatoes or whatnot. That way, it's ready to drink as soon as it cools! It's more work than just buying it at the store but so tasty!
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ReplyDeleteHere's my logic: wooden spoons would stain, therefore "silver" spoons would be the better choice.
ReplyDelete*shrugs* I dunno, it sounded good at the time.... :)
We grew up with a constant supply of juice like that, both Muscadine and Grape, that Mom made from the vines and arbors in our backyard and kept in a pie safe. If the lid didn't seal well, they would eventually ferment and turn into wine; a sure sign of which was that the jar would explode and send sticky fermented juice all over the place. My favorite was the Muscadine juice.
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