Hi from Wisconsin, Zone 4/5

[Marie2020]

i've never peeled grapes to make grape jam, but jam is different than jelly. what i have done is used a food mill to get the skins separated.

it's still jam without the skins because i don't filter the results at all - i do like whatever bits of pulp are in there.

Thank you for that information

 

[baymule]

We did Google recipes last year and chose one that said "Easy Grape Jelly." It wasn't easy getting all those skins off, that's for sure! But we'll just try to find a different one this year, I guess. Thanks for the tip on Alton Brown. I usually wind up at All Recipes dot com.

I have an old berry strainer that I love. I found it in a rent house after the occupant went to a nursing home. Family cleared out the house but nobody wanted that old strainer. That was when I was 20, I’m 70 now, so I guess it’s REALLY OLD!!

Old Tomato/Berry Strainer

I hauled out my old tomato/berry strainer yesterday to remove seeds from some roma tomatoes I was given. I cooked them on low heat for a bit, along with some cherry tomatoes I grew, then poured them in the strainer. I froze the juice for now, until I get the 2nd round of squash to go in soup...

www.sufficientself.com

 

[flowerbug]

for ultra-low-tech you can take a clean new wicker basket (rinse it off first to get the dust off it) and put some cheesecloth in the bottom and up the sides and then use it as a strainer.

the basket may take on some new color in the process...

 

[ducks4you]

I have an old strainer that, like YOU said, nobody else wanted. I think I have the wooden pestle somewhere. I wish I had the stand, too, but I have used it to strain out seeds.
I have canned my Concord grapes for YEARS, and good thing, bc I have lost most of my grapes. I bought a few more, and after my Cruise next week I plan to cut some off and use rooting hormone to grow them.
Never thought to use green grapes as an alternative to pectin.
OH, and from Central Illinois! Glad to see that you put your general location with your Avatar!!
It Really helps with communication. Fewer posts asking where you live.

 

[Blueberry Acres]

Welcome to the forum, Debbie!
You might recognize me from BYC…“The Welch Chickens”

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

@Debbie292d One year I went on a search for the best cheese cake recipe. I went thru a lot of cream cheese and neighbors , they were tired of chesee cake .

Would you believe the best cheese cake recipe was the winner at the state fair that I happen to run across , everyone liked and finally ended my quest for the perfect cheese cake. It had that topping on it too. So yummy.
I haven’t made one since.

 

[baymule]

@ducks4you my Daddy used willow for a rooting hormone. He cut the green tips of willow, stripped off the leaves, cut in quarter inch pieces and soaked in water 3 days. Every 3 days, he changed out the willow water until he saw roots.

 

[Vanalpaca]

Hi!

If you're on BYC, then we've already met. If not, I'm glad to meet new folks!

I've been working on getting more native plants growing down by our creek. We've also got a small orchard of fruit trees, like peach, plum, and apple, where the property they're on, we grow wildflowers.

We have a garden where we grow corn, sunflowers, and tomatoes, mostly, but always kale for the chickens. We also have a plethora of seedless purple grapes and raspberries.

Does anyone have a grape jam/jelly recipe? We tried one last year with Sure-Jell, and I'm not sure what went wrong, but it stayed pretty liquid. The orioles love it, though, so it's not gone to waste.

View attachment 74610View attachment 74611View attachment 74612

On the jam, boil it down more. Reducing the liquid will really help it solidify. Don't can it until it's thick on the back of a cold spoon. Meanwhile it makes GREAT basting sauce on pork loins. I never figured to bake with it but ended up with 'grapesauce'. Amazing how much those grape vines can produce!! I haven't been on BYC for a good decade. Had my nose in the garden! NW Ohio, zone 6a.