Cookie Bookie

Grape Juice

This isn't a recipe as much as just my notes so I remember next time!

White grapes are ready before Purple.

White grapes pick before they start falling off the stems.  Taste test to know when they are sweet and 

ready.  Purple you should wait to pick until first frost.

One loosely filled juicer basket will give you about 4 quarts of juice.

One tightly fully packed juicer basket will give you about 5 quarts of juice.

Wash jars and place them in the oven set to Warm (200 degrees).  Make sure you have enough rings 

and lids.  Set a small pan on the stove with a little water to warm lids later.

Pull out juicer and set up.  Start water boiling in the bottom.

Use the large silver mixing bowl to wash grapes.  One bowl filled but not overflowing is enough to tightly fill the juicer basket. Fill up the silver bowl with grapes and then fill with water and wash. (Use the outside faucet, place the bowl on a chair so it’s closer to the faucet)  Pull grapes (stems are fine, you don’t have to pull them off the stem) from water and fill juicer basket.  Dump out the dirty water from the silver bowl and place basket inside silver bowl to transport inside (no drips!).

Place basket in juicer and cover with lid.

When you see steam coming out of the juicer start timing – 30 minutes.

After 20 minutes heat water in the small pan for lids.  Heat just to before boiling then turn off the heat and add the lids.

Place a chair in front of the stove.  Place a towel on the seat and then place a box on top.  The jars will sit on top of the box.  You want the jar to be low enough that the juice flows out of the juicer easily but high enough that the tube goes inside the jar.

Place an oven glove on your right hand and hold a hot pad or towel in your left hand.  Grab a jar from the oven and place it on the box in front of the juicer.  Using your right hand grab the squeeze lock on the tube, use your left hand to hold it steady, and squeeze to open the tube.  Allow a little juice to run through the tube to sanitize the tube and discard that first little bit.  Put the jar back on the box and fill up.  Move the jar to the counter on top of a wire rack.  Grab the next jar from the oven and place it under the tube to catch any drips.  Wipe the rim of the filled jar with a clean cloth.  Grab a lid from the warm water (lid lifter or chopsticks work) and place the lid on top of the jar.  Firmly screw on a ring.  Repeat with remaining jars until all juice is in jars.  Allow jars to cool on cooling rack.

Discard grape pulp and stems (compost!).  Use the silver bowl to move the basket around so you don’t have drips everywhere.  Refill basket with more grapes and repeat!

When jars are cool, remove rings and wipe down jars.  Write the month/year on top and store in a cool dry place.

Depending on the season you may have to add sugar to the grape juice.  Taste and add as needed.  

You can also dilute the grape juice to taste.

2016 - 25 (+extra to drink) quarts of juice