Grape Juice

Dave here on a very lovely Saturday evening. Oven-stewed tomatoes are baking, and deer hot-dogs are on the grill. Fannie Miller's fresh peach pie will be dessert. Going to be some good eating shortly. In the meantime, let's reminisce a little.

I was born at a very young age, and therefore remember very little about it. Earliest memories, though, include a very loving mom and dad who would give great group hugs with little ‘ol me sandwiched between them. That was special. Wish it were still possible. It would probably be awkward now, and besides, they are no longer with us. It was a time to cherish. It was too soon gone. I suppose threesome-hugs also happened with my older brothers. I’d have to ask them.

Earliest memories of my brothers include playing softball in the yard between the house and barn, hiking along Hog Creek, playing with cats, getting rides on motorbikes, and having them teach me how to ride a bicycle. Those are some of the good memories. There are also memories with my brothers that would be better forgotten. Those involve mean horses, unwanted rides on cows, electric fence “experiments,” and wrestling matches that sometimes turned ugly. They likely remember those times too. Ah well, we all survived. That’s just part of being a family, and we laugh at all our escapades now.

Other great memories include food and drink. Mom and Dad always made sure we had enough to eat, and it was a blessing (though we didn’t think so at the time) to be included in the work of gardening and putting up food for the winter. Untold quarts of canned tomato juice, red beets, cherries, applesauce, peaches, and green beans lined our basement shelves. Lima beans, corn, and beef went into the freezer. Oh, and jelly and jam - lots of it - both frozen and canned. And probably many more things that I’ve forgotten.

There was one more item that we canned in the early fall and enjoyed on a weekly basis through the winter. Grape juice. Every Sunday evening the menu was the same. Popcorn, apples, and grape juice. To this day I still make grape juice every year exactly like Mom made it. It’s very easy, and when the jars are pulled off the shelf on the cold, blustery Sunday evenings of winter, (some traditions never die), the sweet flavor of Concord grapes takes me on a delicious trip to yesteryear. Popcorn tops off the experience, and we’re back home on the farm at Elida, Ohio, with a Mom and Dad, and a bunch of brothers.

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A little rain began falling this morning, so it seemed like a good time to make this year’s grape juice. I had harvested them from our arbor a little over a week ago and put them in the basement refrigerator until today. As previously mentioned, it’s very easy. I use ½ gallon jars with two heaping cups of concord grapes and a heaping ½ cup of white sugar. Then I fill the jar with hot water, snug on the lids and rings, and put the jars in the canner for a hot-water bath.

Pressure cooking is not necessary. Hot water bath is faster and just as safe with grapes. With the water level at the top of the jars, and a lid on the pot, the water is brought to a rolling boil, and maintained like that for about eight minutes before the burner is turned off. The jars are removed from the canner to cool on the counter-top. It is best to let the jars sit on a shelf for a few weeks before using the juice. There may be some variations on how this is done, but that’s how I do it, and the juice always turns out fine.

Ah, the sweet memories. There are so many. Today I’m thankful for those times when we were included in the labor of planting, harvesting, and putting up for the winter. It’s a practice that I still continue, and I don’t even remember when I learned how to do it. It was a loving Mom and Dad who did the teaching, of course, but we learned it without even knowing we were learning, and here we are once again, doing it and reminiscing with fondness the days of group hugs and sweet Concord grape juice.

The rain didn’t last long. Before finishing the canning, the sun shone brightly, inviting me to do the outdoor work. It’s time to put the garden to bed again. Seems like we just planted it. The beans, corn, and tomatoes did great this year. It took some watering, but it was worth it. The shelves are lined with food for the winter. Fall is upon us. Time moves on, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.

This time of year comes around only once every twelve months. It’s a good time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. From the lovely land of Kidron, Ohio. So long.