The Fruits of Someone Else's Labor

This is my fruit! I picked it myself and actually used it, or am using it. You are looking at grapes (that actually don't taste very good, and have rather large seeds in them), pears (very good), and crab-apples.


I don't know what to do what the grapes, I guess I'll wait and see what my mother-in-law has to say about them. The pears we've been eating, and I dried a bunch in the over- and was fairly surprised at how nicely they turned out-, and the crab apples are sitting in the freezer waiting for my M-I-L to help me deal with (aka make jelly out of). I'm so very excited, we even managed to find a few late ripening raspberries that were very nice. In the spring I will get to enjoy my strawberries as well. Oooh.


Comments

Amy said…
Those look like concord grapes--for juice :)
September 11, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Cannwin said…
Juice, huh!? Hmm, I wonder. They are rather bitter and they've got a very tough skin. The baby keeps taking them, biting into them and then shivering, you'd think he'd figure it out.

I'll have to see what my MIL says... she'll be here on Saturday and she's far more knowledgable than me about such things. If only you were here Amy. *sigh*
September 11, 2008 at 9:03 PM
Terésa said…
Those grapes look like the kind we had in our backyard growing up. If I recall, you boil them and then drain, and mash them (like mashed potatoes) and then strain them through a cheese cloth, and the stained substance is the juice. I don’t know if my mom added sugar or not. But I remember her saying it was too much work so she didn’t do it often. You would probably be more motivated.
September 11, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Terésa said…
"Strained substance is the juice," I meant to say. ;)
September 11, 2008 at 10:37 PM
Jennifer said…
Yeah, those look like Concords to me, which is the kind they make grape jelly and grape juice with.

Here's the official instructions on how to make:

Grape Juice
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/grape_juice.html

Grape Jam
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/grape_jam_without_pectin.html

Canned Whole Grapes
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/grapes_whole.html

A good page with step by step photos
http://www.pickyourown.org/grapejuice.htm
September 12, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Lisa said…
What is it about picking your own food from the wild that is so dang fun! We have citrus on our trees and I can't wait.

Is it because it's free?
September 12, 2008 at 4:44 PM
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