So...anyone out there want free concord grapes?? It's a giveaway!
Grapes look innocent enough. I have a blog entry 2 years ago that looks fine....
I am so GLAD I went back to that blog entry because it helped me understand what went wrong this year when I tried to juice our grapes!
I used a seperate burner that was NOT part of the glass top burners I currently have in my kitchen. It took most of one day to juice 20 quarts of grapes. That was discouraging because I can do at least double that usually. So, I figured it must be the glass top stove. I only purchased one a few years ago because the last electric stove I had burned out and the burners wouldn't fit right and you get the picture....the question I have is....WHO designs these units? CERTAINLY not a housewife!!! The oven racks aren't wide enough in the oven so when I try to pull the rack out it falls to one side. Wow! ah hem, so enough of my soap box!
The next day I thought I'd use our gas camping stove. Gas surely is faster, right? YES! A hundred times faster! Yay! Then...catastrophy!!
It had to be done outside. Luckily, it was a warm day in November which I'm grateful. A good thing, too because I totally tripped up the back steps with hot grape juice in hand and there it was...hot, molten lava, oh I mean purple grape juice all over two steps and getting on shoes and the garage floor. I stared in horror as to what to do. Stains! Embarrassment from my clutsy-ness! There I was hosing it off and Cloroxing it. By this point I am exhausted! I had to have these grapes juiced today because I had a meeting that night and was to babysit my cute grandson all the next day. So, this added to my pressure. I was tired of carrying in hot bottles of grape juice. I heard that this kind of canning had been done by different friends so I thought all would be ok. (I started out the day feeling yucky anyway). I started throwing grapes away, I was so mad. I called the gas company to hook into gas but found out it cost $10,000 to hook it up. Yeah, right! I almost went out to the garden and pulled up the grape vines by their roots! The next step was to put them on "Craiglist!" This year I was NOT thankful for them. So, my wonderful husband came home in all my anxiety and was hurrying to get ready for his big meeting that he had prepared for-for weeks. He saw my dilemma when he came in the kitchen in his shirt and tie. I was doing the last batch that I intended to do indoors and just at that moment....more disaster. The juice was boiling hot, ready to put in the jars and the hose came off the canner. Purple flowing lava oozing all over the kitchen. Splashing on cupboards, soaking into clean towels. All I can think of at this point is, "HOW DO I PLUG THIS HOLE UP AND GET THE HOSE ON AT THE SAME TIME WITH 300 DEGREE LAVA COMING OUT? Also, the mess, oh the cleaning to be done when I was already needing Calgon and a stiff drink!! (Ok, maybe not the stiff drink). My husband went to get some gloves and plugged the hole while my shaky hands tried to put the hose back on but it was not to be. So, we switched places...and...success!! Not a drop on my husband's suit! Woo-hoo! He kindof stared in amazement. He didn't dare go anywhere. My 17 year old daughter and her friend were mopping up the juice and I was about to explode! I told my husband he needed to go to his meeting. Nobody dared even speak!
So, I had to bite my homemaking pride and ask my wonderful mother-in-law if she would finish those, those things. She and my father-in-law already picked those things as it was. Together, we got 75 quarts of grapes! But, if you see them next year at this time on "Craigslist" on Ten Mile Road-do not be surprised. Be very scared--but not surprised!!
