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sheeshshe
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Grape Harvest. what to do with the grapes?

I have this green seeded grapes, grapevine. It did really well this year, and I have about 5 gallons of grapes. They aren't the best tasting grape, and they are kind of slimy on the inside. the skin separates from the inside part very easily. and they have seeds. should I make juice? will it be gross? how do I remove the seeds for juicing it? what else can I do with them? thanks so much!

Taiji
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It's been a long time since I processed a lot of seeded grapes. But, if I remember correctly, I rinsed them, removed as many stems as possible, put the whole mess into a really big pot, added a small amount of water, brought it to a boil and let them sit til cool. Then, I ran the whole mess thru a ricer, which worked great cause it kept the seeds out, but allowed pulp and juice to go thru. Then, I put the juice in plastic bottles and froze them. Used them as needed. It was truly delicious juice. In those days I grew Concord and Niagara grapes. Niagara is my favorite grape; white and seeded. Enjoy!

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sweetiepie
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I use a victorio steam juicer. https://www.harvestessentials.com/victor ... aQodfbYGJg After they have steamed for a while, I then mush the grapes against the strainer some and let them juice a little while longer.

You can use the juice as juice or I make grape jam. It makes it easy and I get lots more juice.

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sheeshshe
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ahh, that is very very helpful, thank you so much!

Now, someone mentioned to me that I was supposed to wait until the first frost to pick them. is that true??

Taiji
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I don't know the answer to that. I can't remember if I ever waited that long or not, but maybe the thinking is that it intensifies the flavor? I'm thinking lots of grapes will be ready long before the first frost though.

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It sounds like a "slip skin" grape. Some people do claim that they are best right after the first light frost. Basically, you want to leave the grapes on the vine until they take on as much sugar content as they are able in any given year. Until the sugar level comes up the grapes will be rather tasteless in most cases. Slip skin grapes tend to vary more from year to year than other types of grapes in the final sugar content for the year. (but all grapes do to some extent). Note, that grapes will reach a peak where they taste the best and may ripen over 2-3 week period. If the rains hit for extended periods near the end the grapes may crack and the sugar content will decrease, sometimes dramatically. Generally the best way for home gardeners is to pick one berry (grape) that looks ripe and taste it. In large scale operations they test the sugar content as they near the end of the season to see when to pick them. Just for the record Niagra is a slip skin grape, with seeds that is not very tasteless until they are fully ripe.



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