I was headed home from harvesting honey on Sunday when I passed a friend on the road as I was coming off the ridge. I skidded to a stop on the gravel road (which is always a thrill!) and we talked about bees and stuff. Last week, my friend had offered for me to come pick grapes from his vines. I ran out of time last week, but my friend offered again and I took him up on it!
We picked a basket full of grapes without even working at it and I have to tell you, the smell of freshly picked, perfectly ripe grapes is incredible. I sort of hated to get out of the car, the smell was so incredible. If they made fresh grape cologne, I would consider wearing cologne. I would not consider it long as I do not like cologne at all, but I would consider it…it was that incredible.
Imagine my surprise Tuesday night when I walked into the house and smelled the grapes that Emily and Abigail were cooking into grape juice (and soon to be jelly!). The house was heavenly! Have you noticed how bad store-bought grape jelly is? It used to taste grapey and pretty good but now it just tastes purpley. It is awful.
Ok, sorry…sidetracked. Anyhow, I used to freak out when I saw my mom and grandma canning grape juice. They always added a few grape into the jars and as they sat upon the shelves in the cellar, I swore it looked like jars of eyeballs. No, in our grape juice, there will be no eyeballs. Our jelly will be grapey and the sun will continue to rise in the east. This is just how things should be.
I didn’t make you eat the eyeballs I put in the grape juice did I?
Nice pictures! I’m thinking about grape cologne…
I wonder why they put the grapes in the juice? When my boys were young I made grape juice by filling the jars with grapes, adding boiling water and sugar, and canning it just like that. It was fast and easy and that was why I did it, but it used a lot of jars and the juice was not very strong. The juice we made this week is potent! It’s concentrated and we’ll have to thin it with water, but my word it is good.
I’m glad you were able to use the grapes. That makes me happy 🙂
Apple butter time this coming weekend, I think. Stop by if you’re on the hill.
Granny Sue – we plan to be around all day Saturday and maybe part of Sunday…we will def try to stop by!
Sigh-I think grape cologne is a perfect idea : )
Granny Sue that’s exactly how we made grape juice. We had gallon jars. I wonder what happened to them. Haven’t made juice in a long time.
I am impressed with your wimmin’s skillz!!! Em and Ab, using grapes since 2012!
Grape jelly was the only thing my parents ever canned that I liked. It made the house smell amazing, compared to the constant stink of vinegar for days on end.
I like that vinegar smell and I think I did as a kid too but it is powerful!