Grape Juice

Grape juice can be so yummy, but sometimes I found it to be a bit too strong. I love a mild flavored grape juice. Here is one way to do it!

Makes 7 Quarts

Ingredients:
4 pounds Grapes
1 3/4 cups Sugar
Water

Utensils:
Quart canning jars
Measuring cups
Hot bath canner
Large Pot
Canning jar lids and rims
Jar lifter
Cheesecloth and strainer


Wash and sterilize your and jars. I like to just put them in the dishwasher on a quick wash cycle. Put the lids in hot water to soften the seal. Fill your hot water bath canner about halfway with water and start heating the water on low heat. While that is heating, also heat a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. There will need to be enough water to fill the jars leaving an inch head space. Prepare your grapes by rinsing them, removing the stems, and removing any bad grapes.

Distribute the 4 pounds of grapes among the 7 jars. It should be about a cup a jar. Next, if you want to add sugar, add a 1/4 cup to each jar. Now fill the jars with boiling water. Leave 1 inch of head space at the top. Wipe the tops off and adjusts the lids.

Place the jars on the rack and lower into the hot water bath canner. Make sure the tops of the jars are covered in water, if not add more water. There should be at least 1 inch of water above the lids. Bring the water to a rolling boil and put the lid on. Once the lid is on let them boil for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes are up turn the heat off. Let the jars remain in the water bath an additional 5 minutes. Then remove them with your jar grabbers and place them on a towel to cool and dry off. Give them 24 hours to seal. If they do not, repeat the process. The jars need to cure for 2-3 weeks. They will need to be checked every now and then to see if any sugar crystal are forming, if they do gently shake to get them dissolved back into the water/juice.

To drink the juice you will need to strain them with a cheesecloth and a strainer.