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.

Autumn Cobbler

dish of autumn cobbler with whipped topping (photo by jhy)

You will need:
For the Filling:

• 3 c sliced apples
• 3 c sliced pears
• 3 c halved and seeded grapes (any will do, but Concord is divine)
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 T orange juice

For the Topping:

• 2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c butter or margarine (melted)
• 2 t fresh grated orange rind

9x13 baking pan bowls measuring cups, spoons, scraper etc. We love this dessert. However, it's not a low-calorie treat. The part we love most is the filling, so I'm going to work on a different topping. You could even fix the fruit alone as a compote, and use half sugar substitute. You can easily cut this in half for an 8x8 pan. I have made it with several kinds of grapes. Our favorite, by far, is Concord. Although these do have seeds you have to remove, the flavor is amazing. It takes some prep time to cut the fruits, and baking time is a total of one hour. Sometimes I forget to buy the orange. You can leave it out without dire consequences.

autumn cobbler prepared fruits (photo by jhy)

Prepare the fruit and mix together in a large bowl with the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and juice.

autumn cobbler filling, before baking (photo by jhy)

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients for the topping. In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients, mixing to combine. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir well. When the fruit is cooked, remove from oven and spoon the topping over the fruit. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes until golden.

autumn cobbler in the pan (photo by jhy)

Serve hot or cold. Whipped topping or ice cream is great with this. You can cut into any serving size you want, but we find that 12 portions is about right for adults.

Gathering Wild Grapes

Wild grapes are good for a number of food products. There are several varieties, and they are all fine for use. In the video, I'm collecting summer grape, Vitis aestivalis, but fox grape, frost grape, riverbank grape (and others) are all fine too. Experts recognize between 19 and 35 species of native North American grape, and the taxonomy is probably changing as we speak. They are all fine to use.

Wild grape fruits grow in clusters, just like domestic grapes, but the fruits will be smaller. They are also much more acid (sour). Some years they are sweeter than others. In any case, wait until after the first frost before collecting them, because they will be sweeter then.



In the video I suggest using scissors to cut off the clusters, which works well, but they can just be broken off by hand. I found a vine that was covered when I was out and about yesterday, and collected a pail full in just a few minutes, by hand.

In any event, the fruits are small, and unless it's an exceptionally good year there will be more waste than with commercial grapes, so be sure you collect lots!