Grape: Part 2

So far in the grape saga we have Saturday grape picking/gathering, Sunday grape pie. Now we're on to Monday and Tuesday. Here are the remaining grapes:

On Monday I mashed and cooked the grapes for a while.

I then ladled out spoonfuls into a strainer and smooshed them through with a spoon to "juice" them.

I think if I do this next year, I need to get some sort of grape processor that can separate the peels from the insides, squish the grapes to prepare for cooking, and juice the cooked grapes. It is very labor intensive to do those things, and everything you use during, turns purple, including your hands.

Purple Spoon!

There was about a bowl of juice from two bowls of grapes. I let the bowl sit, covered, in the fridge, over night.

On Tuesday I got the juice out and poured it into a strainer lined with a double layer of damp cheese cloth to get out the gunk in the juice (pulp). I didn't read that you were supposed to let it sit like that for two hours for it to come through more clear. Whoops. Oh well, it doesn't affect the taste (I don't think).

Then I cooked the juice (5 cups) with a package of pectin and 6 cups of sugar. Then I ladled it into little cute jars and canned it! (First canning experience ever. It's not too hard. Thanks Jodee for letting me borrow your water bath!)

Here are the results:

I haven't tried the jelly yet to see if it tastes good. I canned all of it, and now I don't want to open any of the jars! There's one that's only half-full that I'll probably end up opening and tasting.