Grapes Galore

Our latest canning adventure this weekend has been grape juice. Thanks to the Briscoe's garden spot we put up over 50 quarts of grape juice. I'll admit I was feeling overwhelmed with the idea of making grape juice. I was having visions of picking each grape off the vine and squeezing it. WRONG!
Josh's parents have the coolest "thing-a-ma-bobber" for lack of the right word. It juices just about anything. All we had to do was throw all the grapes (still on stems) in a sink full of water to wash off any dirt. Then we put the grapes (still on stems) in the top strainer part of the thing. The bottom part is full of water that boils steam up that comes up to the top part through a funnel. The middle section catches the juice as you squish down the grapes. Then you pour into your bottle with a little sugar to taste, and process in a steam canner or boiling water bath. When its time to drink, you combine one jar with one jar of water or sprite if your in the mood for a sweet treat. It made the absolute best grape juice I

have ever tasted. We also made some freezer grape jam with some of the juice.

We also did the same thing with tomatoes. We then boiled down the tomato juice (5 hours later) till it turned into tomato sauce. We were able to bottle 24 half pints.