A Shocking Purple

I finished the peaches this weekend. Made 3 pies.

Saturday I went to my mother's house. It was my youngest brother's birthday and I went earlier to get some more of those grapes done. Mom and I got into position, and started processing. I placed the pureed grapes in a pot on the stove, then leaned over touching the stove, to turn on the burner. Some of you may remember that I have accused my mother of trying to kill me in the pas. Well Saturday she made yet another attempt. As I touched the stove I got a 100 volts through my hand, into my arm, stopping at my spine. How do I know it was 100 volts? Because after I was done doing the Phelan ritual dance of I've been shocked! My step father broke out his voltage meter. I think I am done with electricity at this point. How many time now? 3?

Mom called a friend in, he is an electrician. He found some future problems and fixed those, but was unable to discover what exactly was wrong with the coil. They left that one burner disconnected. Sure, that made me feel lots better about touching it.

Not Grounded!

Grapes

Juice

boil

strain

sit/wait

Squeeze

pectin/boil

sugar/ boil/sterilize

ladle

can

hate grapes.

Maybe it's a nightmare and I will wake any moment.

I might end up grounded

I'm 30, and I still have ten years left on my grounding, but after yesterday, that might just get extended.

My 4 year old son had pre-K screening yesterday, so I didn't get to my mother's until after 10am. We got to work on those grapes, putting a very small dent in them. 4 lbs seems to be nothing when working with so many grapes. I taught mom the recipe, and we got 9 half pints put by. I left because I had to meet my oldest and middle sons at home after school. I called my mother later in the evening to see if she had blown herself up, my mom has been canning for years, no worries there. She had went out to buy more lemon juice and ended up with a huge water bath canner. This thing holds 9 quart jars.

Mom, you are using and electric range, it might be too big. It could break your coil.

But she was willing to take that chance. Then asked if she could double the jam recipe.

Nope, sorry. You should never double a jam recipe and never use quart jars to can it in. It will not jell correctly if you do that.

Now I had a grumpy mama on the phone. The joys of gleaning have passed. Its fun to gather, but then. . . then you have to process it all before it rots. And that takes time and back soreness.

So, if I don't see you tomorrow, I've been grounded.

Blueberry butter and Grape Jam

I will not rehash the blueberry butter scene, I posted the recipe here, back in July of last year.

Hectic morning! Boys start school today! I thought it was tomorrow!

Grape Jam

6 c. prepared fruit (about 4 lbs. ripe grapes)
1 box powdered fruit pectin
7 1/2 c. (3 1/4 lbs.) sugar

Prepare grapes, by mashing through a food processor. Place into a large pan, stir in pectin and bring to a boil. Stir in sugar all at once, bring to a hard boil over high heat for 1 full minute. Remove from heat, and strain through a cheese cloth. Remove any foam. Place into your hot sterile jars.

More food to talk about tomorrow.

Great Grapes

When I first saw a vineyard here is Kansas, I was surprised. Come one, grapes? Surviving the Heartland winter's? Sure.... How wrong I turned out to be.

We have begun to establish our own small vineyard here on the homestead. Turns out that grapes are the easiest and one of the most adaptive of fruits. And we are ready to enjoy our second year of grapes.

Why am I talking about grapes now? We did discuss peanuts yesterday, and now is the beginning of grape planting season. I saw several plants in the farm store yesterday, and thought I would help out any of you that are thinking about growing grapes, but have never done so. {I will be answering those peanut questions in the comment section on the peanut post}

Grapes can be found growing in just about every type of climate here in the United States. Every garden can be successful with there own private vineyard. Look around your yard, the best site to plant is on a slight slope to help with drainage and air circulation. Avoid areas like low frosty pockets, there is danger of the plant being injured in spring frosts. Grapes need full sun and away from competing trees.

If you have a short growing season, plant them next to your house on the south side, train the vines to climb your wall. The heat radiation will help the grapes ripen a week sooner. No worries, insect {except for a certain caterpillar} are not too fond of grapes.

Stay clear of rich soils, you want the fruits, not the foliage. Grapes vines will produce, if properly managed, for 50-60 years. Be sure to mulch with organic grasses every year. You will want to apply 2-3 lb of crushed granite rock in the winter and a ½ lb of a good source of high organic nitrogen in the spring. Spread these out in an area 6 -8 feet in diameter from the base of the grape vine. {Grape vine roots can extend up to 8 feet out.}

Planting can be done in the spring or fall. Spring planting takes place between March and May. Do not buy anything older than two years old. They don't transplant well, and already producing vines will take longer to produce than the younger vines.

Space your vines out 8x8ft, seven feet is ok as well. Holes should be 12-14 inches deep and 16 inches in diameter. Prune the tops off to just a single cane. and then cut the single cane down until only two buds remain. If you have it, place some bone meal, compost or crushed granite into the hole. Place your plant into the hole, with the two buds at ground level.

You do not need to trellis the first year, but the second year, you will. We will talk about trellis later, if you would like.

We enjoy grape jam here, maybe someday the youngest of my boys will stop eating them off the vine so that we can have enough to make more than a single days serving. {Sorry, I thought I had pictures of my grapes, turns out I don't.}