Today J and I picked several gallons of grapes, plucked 'em off their stems, mooshed 'em with a potato masher, boiled 'em for 10 minutes with much boiling over on the stove and then burning permanently on the enamel, strained 'em through cheesecloth (ok, it was tulle) and then pour the juice into a ginormous pot especially used for this purpose. Over and over. Then the light pink juice sits all night on the counter 'crystalizing', something I have never actually witnessed but the USDA canning and preserving book says to do so I do. Then skim. The nonexistant 'crystals'.Then the pectin, sugar, a gawdawful amount of sugar and more boiling of juice and jars and lids with much burning of fingers and mess on counter and floor. Finally the hopeful *ping* of jar lids sealing. Sometimes not. Or the dreaded, 'it didn't jell' phase where you have to uncork the whole thing and start over --sob--.
And my USDA canning and perserving book has everything. I mean everything. If I wanted, I could can a side of beef. Or I could use tin cans for my meat. There is a scary picture of a lady in a apron standing next to a tin can machine. I think I'll stick with jelly. Being vegan and all.
2 comments:
Yum!! grape jelly.
And you get some, you sweetie. Tons of sugar, tons.
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