10/13/09

13 Canning 101: Concord Grape Juice

Canning Concord Grape JuiceI grew up on my mom's grape juice.

Did you know that grape juice is good for your heart?

It has many of the same good properties that studies have found in wine: powerful, disease fighting antioxidants.

It's even better when you make it yourself.

One time, I had a glass of the frozen concentrate. It was so sweet and syrup-y that I couldn't stand it.



This is the stuff I go for.

This is a 2 quart bottle that yields approximately 6 c. of juice.

Why 2 quart bottles? I get more juice...

If you decide to use 2 quart bottles, make sure you have a canner that is deep enough to have water reach the tops. Also, you will need a wire rack that will accommodate the larger jars.

This will be next on my canning purchase list. A stainless steel canning rack that will hold any size jar...



I just open it up and strain it.



The pruney left over grapes are thrown away.



Wanna learn how to bottle your own grapes?

O.k., let's get started.



Make sure your bottles are clean.

Always check for chips in the rim.


I keep them in my dishwasher until ready to use.



Fill a large bowl with Concord grapes.

Fill with water.

Swish the grapes around.

Drain off water. Repeat two more times.




You want to use clean grapes.


My mom's grapes are organic.

Nice~





Stem the grapes until you have a very full 2 c. measure.

(if you are bottling quarts, halve this recipe)

Check occasionally for any stems left on the grape.

Do not stem any pruney, shriveled up, or cracked grapes.






Pour the grapes into a clean jar.


Repeat until all jars are filled.




For each 2 quart jar, I put 3/4 c. sugar into a 2 c. measure and fill with boiling water.


You can adjust the sugar. For quarts, anywhere between 1/3-1/2 c. is good for extra sweet, ripe grapes.




I stir it until it is completely dissolved.

Pour this mixture into the jar.

Repeat for all the jars.

(Remember to halve the recipe for quart jars)


O.k. I don't have a pic for the next step.

Fill each jar with boiling water until you reach 1/2" headspace.

That means 1/2" from the top of the jar.




Have lids ready on simmer.







Clean the rim of each jar with a clean paper towel dipped in boiling water.

Place a lid and ring on each jar and tighten until snug.


Place each jar in hot, not boiling water.



Bring to boiling and boil for 30 minutes. This is for 4,500 feet of altitude. Check the chart below to adjust for your altitude.

For quart jars, 20 minutes.

Take out and let cool, undisturbed for at least 12 hours.




Store bottled grapes in a cool, dark, dry place for at least 6 weeks to extract the maximum amount of juice.

My mom had a bottle that didn't seal and put it in the fridge, hoping to heat it up and re-can it. Three days later, she decided to taste it. It was soooooo good~ Decided to drink it instead of re-bottling it.


Open a jar and discover for yourself how good grape juice can really be.



13 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this! The juice really is great. So much more simple than the steamed variety. I love how everyone in the family varies the sugar per jar. :) Lars

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  2. This looks complicated, but I want some. =)

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  3. Store-bought concord grape juice gives me a headache it's so sweet. Maybe if I ever get into canning, I can make the real stuff. (Or, you know, you could just FedEx me some...)

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  4. Wow, I'm impressed and jealous. very nicely done

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  5. Thanks for the comments~ If your grapes are super sweet, you can even bottle them with just the grapes and boiling water. This is a very, very, easy first time canning project~

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  6. Frieda, this is something I will want to try, now that I'm comfortable canning jam. I can only imagine how much cleaner and better this tastes vs. the high fructose syrup versions. I think I missed concord grape season, but I'll keep an eye open for them.
    Thanks!

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  7. My sister, Kitty, was telling me all about your post on grape juice and I just had to stop by and take a peek. Looks absolutely delicious. Yah!!!

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  8. YUM! I'm not a grape juice fan but when I got to try yours, I changed my mind. YUMMY!!!

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  9. Thanks so much! My grapes are on, but I don't really need any more grape jelly (just did a batch today). I know my grandma used to bottle the grapes for grape juice, but I didn't know the details. We have a juicer, but it won't fit under our built-in microwave. I'm going to go do some quarts of grape juice today!!

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  11. Tonya ~ this is how my folks and their parents did grape juice. It is smooth and not thick and sryupy. Love it!

    So sad that your juicer won't fit on your stove! My mom got a new stove and found that she could NOT do canning on it ~ had to get a special "ring" that raised the canner and it wouldn't fit! She put the old stove in the attached garage and that's where she does her canning now.

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  12. AnonymousMay 19, 2012

    My mom has been making grape juice this way for over 20 years. But she uses honey to sweeten the juice. Not sure how much honey. But I know it is less than sugar, because honey has a sweeter flavour than sugar.
    Thanks for posting this recipe.

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    Replies
    1. Each member of our family uses a different amount of sugar to fit their taste and depending on the sweetness of the grapes. That's great to know that honey is available as a substitute. You are right, the amount of honey would definitely be less than sugar because honey is 2-3 times sweeter than sugar.

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