Wild Grape Juice Recipe Canning Food

GRAPE JUICE

Steps:

• Wash and stem grapes.
• Put grapes in sauce pan.
• Crush with potato masher or similar device.
• If there's not enough juice to cover the crushed grapes, add just enough boiling water from a kettle to cover the grapes.
• Heat pot to a boil, then lower to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until the grape skins are soft.
• Strain through either a double-layer of cheese cloth, or a jelly bag.
• Discard skins and sediment.
• Put juice in covered containers in the refrigerator and let stand there for 24 to 48 hours.
• Carefully pour juice into a pot, being careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the containers.
• Discard sediment.
• Taste the juice cold, see if you want to sweeten it.
• If so, do so now to taste.
• Heat juice, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.
• Ladle hot juice into jars. (See note on special jar sterilization.)
• Leave 1 cm (1/4 inch) headspace.
• Wipe jar rims.
• Put lids on.
• Process in a water bath or steam canner.
• The processing time is 5 minutes for half-litres and litres (US pints and US quarts); 10 minutes for 2 litre (2 quart) jars. Increase time as needed for your altitude.

WILD GRAPE WINE

Steps:

• Choose ripe Wild Grapes, Pick them in clusters on the stems, bring them home and wash them in cold water leaving them on the stems.
• Place grapes with stems on, in water just to cover, in an enamel or non metallic kettle.
• Bring just to a boil, simmer till skins on the grapes pop, Mash the grapes in the water, Strain juice into a non-metallic container, through several layers of cheese cloth or a clean dish towel to remove grape pulp, seeds and stems.
• Reserve the juice, Throw away stems and pulp.
• Measure the juice.
• Add equal amounts of sugar and water, (ie: 1 gal juice, 1 gal sugar, 1 gal water) put wine mixture in clean crock.
• spread or sprinkle 1 cake or one pkg dry yeast on dry bread crust and allow it to float on top of the wine mixture, cover crock with a clean dish towel, let ferment for 3 days, strain wine, into non metallic container such as an enamel canner kettle, wash the crock and be sure to rinse it very well, put wine back into the crock, allow to ferment for 4 days, stirring every day and skimming the foam from top, strain the wine again as before, wash the crock again, put wine back in the crock.
• Allow to ferment 4 days, stirring and skimming every day.
• Strain the wine once more, this time it is ready to bottle.
• The older it gets the better.

WILD GRAPE JELLY

Steps:

• In large saucepan, crush grapes with potato masher; pour in water and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until fruit is very soft.
• Transfer to jelly bag or colander lined with a double thickness of fine cheesecloth and let drip overnight.
• Measure juice (you should have 3 cups/750 ml) into a large heavy saucepan; stir in sugar.
• Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Stir in pectin.
• Return to full boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.
• Pour into sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.