Steamed Concentrate Grape Juice
Learn how to easily steam grapes for fresh juice by heating them to release their natural sweetness. Perfect for a warm or chilled homemade treat!
Equipment
Ingredients
- washed concord grapes spoiled and green grapes removed
- sugar 1/4-1/2 cup per quart jar
Instructions
Steaming the Grape Juice
- Pick your grapes and remove any spoiled or green grapes.
- Fill your steamer bottom with water to the maximum per directions and put on high heat. Some people have put marbles in this section so that when the marbles move, they know it still has water. I have not tried this.
- Wash the grapes and place into the steamer basket of your steamer and fill it.
- Add your steamer collection section and make the sure the hose is clamped and up so no juice flows out.
- Place the steamer basket on top and add the lid to the steamer. This will take some time before juice is ready to flow, but check in 30 minutes.
- While you are waiting, get a card table that can fit to the front and side of the stove and place a large pot to collect the juice of the grapes. The pot should be able to hold 8-10 quarts.
- Release the hose into the pot and allow the juice to flow.
- If it juice stops flowing, check to see if the grapes have compressed. If they have, you may want to add additional grapes to fill the steamer basket again.
- Before you do add more grapes, you may want to carefully check to see if the bottom section needs water and carefully add (after removing the top 2 tiers of the steamer). Use pot holders.
- Repeat processing the grapes until the pot is full. If needed get another pot to process.
Canning the Grapes
- Place your juice on the stove top and bring to a boil and reached Temp 190℉
- While the juice is heating up, prepare your canning jars and gather your lids and seals. Also turn on water bath canner full of water for processing jars. (leaving space for jars, so don't fill to top. The water should be at least 180℉ or close to it.
- Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of sugar in each quart jar.
- Ladle the juice into the jar, leaving 1/4 inch headspace on the jars.
- Wipe the rim with a wet clean cloth.
- Place the lid on the jar and hand tighen the band onto the jar.
- Place the jars into the water bath canner once the water and juice are about the same temperature.
- Allow the water to go over the jars by at least 1 inch.
- Once the jars have reached a boil, process in the water bath for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the water for 5 minutes before removing.
- Allow the jars to sit untouched for 12-24 hours. (we cover to keep cooler air from cracker jars)
- Remove the bands and check to make sure the seals do not come up and the dome is down in the middle.
- Label and date the jars. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal and use quickly.
- To serve, add a little water to the juice to taste. It's easier to add water than it is to remove.