Tags
Albemarle County, concord grape, Concord Grape Jam, copper pot, god of wine, grape, grape harvest, grape plant, heavenly scent, Virginia
Three years ago when I planted one Concord Grape plant, I never knew what I was in for.
The first two years I struggled with this indeterminate vine and its strange harvest until I consulted with our local “God of Wine”.
He was kind enough to advise this silly gardener about her single vine.
Third time’s a charm they say, and voila! Diane has a grape harvest worthy of jam!
can you smell the heavenly scent?
a wee bit labor intensive, squeezing the innards out of the skins
knock out flavor and color here
innards of four pounds of grapes
quick time in the French copper preserving pan
can you taste this royal essence?
Yep, after much hand work in the kitchen this rainy Sunday, I have eight jars of Concord Grape Jam to show for my efforts—
too soon sold to customers who now feel the shift of season and prepare for the cooler months ahead.
These gems of harvest travel near and far to pantry shelves and often find themselves wrapped and gently tucked under Christmas trees
for those foodies who revere this process.
Next up is a batch of Concord Grape Sorbet!
Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
I’m on my 2nd year of a grapevine and it’s doing a lot better but no where near jam status yet! Really good post and makes me excited for next year’s crop!
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The grape jam is over the top good too! So delicate! Only took four pounds of grapes to make 9 jars and these jars are precious indeed. They fetch a dear price at market. Wonder if I will save one back for my pantry! Good luck!
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That’s the vine we pruned?!?!?!?! Lots of fruit from what was left unpruned I’d say…
Greg
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OH YES! Can smell it the grapes! Or maybe it’s the green beans I am canning! The jam looks fabulous!!!
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Reblogged this on The Transplanted Gardener and commented:
This discussion of grape culture will help me very much since the previous gardener planted five Interlochen grapevines on the property we now call home.
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Beautiful grapes! And very nice photography. A previous gardener planted five on a fence here and the vines are overwhelming me!
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What kind of grapes do you have? One vine is more than plenty for this gardener! Just enough for jam and concord grape sorbet, YUM!
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The tag says Interlochen.
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I was advised not to let any vine grow longer than 15′ in either direction, as the fruit will not ripen evenly. So I nipped both end and fruit galore this season. I also now pick grapes from clusters, so not to waste so many green ones on cluster. So far, so good. Then before April cut way back to the main stems. Allow the oldest main and one lighter one to remain. Does this help?
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Yes, I think I need to go prune the vines! I do see a few clusters of grapes. Thank you.
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Elena, grapes should be pruned no later than April…now is not the time…let vine go dormant…
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