My Tiny Plot

Archive for the tag 'Grapes'

While on my knicker-making course the other week (I know, weird) I had a great idea what to do with my ripening black Grapes. One of the other attendees was drinking grape juice and I thought, ‘yes! that’s it, a great way to use up my Grapes.’

Why not just eat them, you say? Well, unfortunately the vine I have was already in my garden when I moved into the house and as it turns out the Grapes are small and very sweet but they have quite large pips in them. Which, if you’ve ever eaten non-seedless Grapes, is a bit of a pain in the booty.

So, here’s how to make your own Grape juice. Firstly, harvest and de-stem the Grapes making sure to pick out any damaged or rotted ones.

Next, give them a good wash to get rid of any nasties.

Then put them into a sturdy pan and mash them with a masher. The idea is to burst as many Grapes as possible. Heat them to a slow simmer for about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Lastly, pass the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. I used a sieve and pushed it through twice just to make sure all the bits were gone. Then bottle, chill and serve. You don’t need to process the jars if you plan on drinking it quickly. And if you have matching nail polish then apply now – the juice tastes so much better :)

I’m back! And look what was waiting for me in the garden. Heaven! We had a long drive home and I stopped off at M & S (as you do) to get some essentials since we had no food at home. I nearly bought some Lettuce (and some Tomatoes – I’ve no faith) but I didn’t, I held out. I’m soooo glad I did. We came home to a bumper crop, including tons of Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cucumber, Apples, Grapes!, Blueberries and Raspberries. Even Marks and Spencer can’t top that.

I have to say (and this is a bit embarrassing given my paranoia) our neighbours were really sweet. They picked my Raspberries and put them in a box in my freezer! They are my new best friends.

Well, I’m glad to be back (with some new interesting, foreign seeds in my seed basket) and I will be going through the comments you’ve all made today. Happy Gardening everyone – onwards and upwards!