No Mess Grape Juice

jars of juice just after processing (photo by jhy)

You will need:
Wild (or domestic) grapes
sugar (and optionally, substitute)
quart canning jars
lids, rings
canner
measuring cup
pans, utensils, etc

This method of making juice does not result in a beverage you can drink immediately, but it's incredibly easy. You have to wait a few months to drink the juice. I can hardly describe how wonderful wild grape juice is... it's like stepping into the autumn woods in mid-winter every time you take a sip.

A friend told me about this method. I've tried it with several different kinds of fruit, but this post will focus on grape. The great advantage is that you don't have to squeeze and strain grape juice which can stain things very badly.

Wash and sterilize as many quart jars as you think you will need. You can cover with a clean towel and let them rest until you have the grapes ready.

The part of this job that takes a lot of time is taking the small, wild grapes off the stems. Wash the grapes- it's easiest to do this while they are still in bunches. The main things to watch for on wild grapes are mold or spider webs. You'll need one cup of clean grapes for each quart. OK, your fingers will get purple doing this, but it's nothing like the mess of boiling grapes and squeezing the liquid through a jelly bag.

grapes, sugar and sugar substitute in a quart jar (photo by jhy)

Set water to boil- enough to fill all the jars you plan to use. Then, in each quart jar put 1 c of grapes and 1/2 c of sweetener. This can be all sugar, or half sugar and half substitute. I have not tried it with all sugar substitute, but it would probably work since there is no texture issue in this recipe as there is with baking.

Fill jars with boiling water, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Clean rim, put on lids and rings. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. See basic instructions for hot water bath canning.

juice that's been in the pantry for a year (photo by jhy)

The just-processed juice will be very pale. The picture doesn't show it very well, but if you look at the left-most jar in the front row (top picture), you can pretty much see how translucent it is. When the jars have cooled, remove rings and place the juice in a pantry or somewhere to store for at least three months before opening. Over this time, the juice will develop. When you do open the jars, strain and remove the fruit. The juice is then ready to drink.