Squeezing and straining grapes for grape juice was not exactly my idea of fun. So when my neighbor showed me a faster, easier method, I was delighted. For anyone else tired of doing it the hard way, follow these steps for a delicious grape juice concentrate.
1. Wash and sterilize canning jars, lids, and rings. Fill water bath pan halfway with water to boil. At the same time, fill another pan with water to boil. This water will be added to the jars.
2. Wash grapes and remove stems and any damaged fruit.
3. Measure one cup of grapes and one cup of sugar for each quart jar.
4. Add sugar and grapes to jar. Don’t bother mixing—it will mix when processing.
5. Fill the jar the rest of the way with boiling water. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar top to clean. Screw on rings and lids fairly tight.
6. Place jars in water bath canner. Add boiling water to cover jars. Process 25 minutes.
7. Remove jars and place on rack or towel to cool. As you can see, the grapes may or may not float. Either way, the taste will be the same.
8. Serve in a pitcher with a strainer or drain juice off. Add 1/2 to one jar of water to concentrate. (Taste to decide.)
