Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (2024)

17Aug2016

Posted in Recipe'sby DrakeFarmDREAM

Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (1)

As I walk past the vines, the sweet smell of Concord grapes alert me that it is time to harvest. When I bring my bounty home and get ready to prepare some grapey goodness, I ask my hubby which recipe he prefers; jelly, jam, puree for pie, juice… “Grape juice, grandma’s way”, he replies.

It is important for me to not only preserve our harvest, but preserve those memories he has of the farm. My husband is fond of anything done the way they did it on the farm. So, without delay and without an actual recipe from grandma, I begin.

Now, mind you, my husband does not cook or follow recipes. I’m going off of stories he recollects from childhood, and for a man who doesn’t cook he does remember the steps pretty good. The process is very simple and I’m going to experiment with the amounts of sugar, because I don’t have the actual recipe from Grandma Bossler. I made some of the jars with ½ Cup sugar and others with 1/3 Cup sugar. I will label them and we shall see at the time of the taste test.

Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (2)Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (3)

Concord Grape Juice Recipe

  • 1 Cup Concord Grapes (heaping)
  • 1/3 – ½ Cup sugar
  • Boiling water to fill to the rim of each jar

Soak and rinse concord grapes in cool water, then drain. I like to add some vinegar to the water and let them soak for at least 3 minutes before rinsing and draining. While they are soaking you can set up your canning assembly line and wash canning jars. After washing the jars in soap and water, I place them in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle to sterilize.

Remove stems from each individual grape and place into a container for later… depending on how many grapes you have this could be a while. Fill each sterilized jar with 1 Cup of Concord grapes. Add sugar to each jar then fill to the rim with boiling water.

Remove lids and rings from hot water bath and place on jars for canning. Process jars for 15 minutes in a hot water bath. Because I didn’t have a recipe I used the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preservingfor a reference on how long to process my jars. This is a great resource and canning companion!

Once the jars are processed and cooled, make sure they have sealed properly. Label and set aside for at least 4-6 weeks while the magic happens. When you’re ready to have your Concord Grape juice – Grandma’s Way, strain juice and enjoy the grapey goodness!

Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (4)Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (5)

    • Thanks for the comment! It makes light work of a plentiful grape harvest and it is so easy!

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  1. Thanks for sharing, this looks like a simple yet yummy way to make grape juice. Is this recipe for quart jars or Pint? Also what do you like better using 1/3 cup or half cup of sugar?

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    • This recipe is for the quart jars. My husband prefers the recipe with 1/2 Cup sugar and I like both. I think it is personal taste for most. The soil and grapes make a big difference too. Our grapes are older with rich soil, so they have more flavor than others I’ve had. I know they are ready to pick when I walk by and the sweet smell of grape shouts they are ready!

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      • Just finished canning 21 quarts! Now the hard part, to wait the 4 to 6 weeks before trying it out😔 I have enough grapes for another 21 quarts; however, there are no sealing lids to be found. Going to try and freeze the remainder of my grapes, and can at a later date. Do you think this will give me the same end result?

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      • Wow! That’s amazing! I haven’t tried the recipe from frozen grapes, but I know you can make a grape purée and freeze that for cooking juice at a later date or using for recipes like “Grape fluff pie”.

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  2. 24 hours later all jars sealed and ready to store. However, I am noticing that all my sugar is at the bottom of my jar, does not look like your picture above. I would have thought the sugar should have dissolved. Even when I lightly shake the jar the sugar does not move. Did I do something wrong during the processing?

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    • There are a lot of variables with canning; over ripe or under ripe fruit, temperature of water, too much sugar, etc. It sounds like the fruit pectin was high and could have encapsulated the sugar. I would recommend checking with https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning-101 and I believe you can email them with your questions directly.

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      • Follow-up! It has now been four days and most if not all the sugar has dissolved!! I am one happy camper! Thanks again for your inspiring post(s)!!

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  3. Can I use frozen grapes?

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    • This “old timer” recipe is for fresh Concord grapes.

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  4. I made 14 quarts of your grape juice. We waited 6 weeks and tried it last night. It was so good!! Thank you for sharing!

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    • You are welcome! I love keeping the old traditions alive, especially when they taste so good! 😉🍇

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  5. Can I use honey instead of sugar? What about sugar substitutes?

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    • I have not tried honey or sugar substitutes with this recipe. I checked with family members, but everyone uses sugar.

      Honey can be subbed in baked goods, but I haven’t tried for canning. Honey is sweeter, so usually using less is recommended when subbing. It can also make fruits darker and baked good will brown quicker. Honey can also change the flavor when subbing for sugar. The darker the honey the stronger the taste, but again I have never tried it with this recipe or the canning process.

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      • Can I use this grape juice later to make grape jelly?

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      • When I make grape jelly, I use the juice extracted from cooking down the grapes. It is thicker and we like a heavier consistency for our spreads.

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Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way (2024)

FAQs

Concord Grape Juice Recipe – Grandma’s Way? ›

Fill each sterilized jar with 1 Cup of Concord grapes. Add sugar to each jar then fill to the rim with boiling water. Remove lids and rings from hot water bath and place on jars for canning. Process jars for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.

What is the best way to juice concord grapes? ›

directions
  1. In sterilized jar place 2 cups grapes.
  2. Add 1/2 cup sugar.
  3. Fill to top with boiling water.
  4. Seal jars at once with 2 piece lids. Process in water-bath canner for 10 minutes. ...
  5. Let juice stand 3 to 4 weeks before using.
  6. Strain juice from grapes and use juice.

How much sugar to add to concord grape juice for wine? ›

Next, stir in 3 lbs. of sugar for every gallon of water you added... Mix well... and add 1-2 packets of wine yeast and seal up fermenter. Primary fermentation will begin. Stir twice daily, leaving grape pulp in container until fermentation has slowed down, about 1 week.

How much concord grape juice should I drink a day? ›

Be sure to keep your intake moderate. While the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting your intake to 4–10 ounces (118–296 mL) per day, other research shows that drinking 3.4–5 ounces (100–150 mL) per day may offer the most health benefits ( 1 , 32 ).

How many pounds of concord grapes make a gallon of juice? ›

1 cluster or bunch of grapes contains roughly 130 grapes (depending on variety). 4 clusters make about a pound. That means 8000 clusters makes a ton and a ton yields approximately 170 gallons of finished juice. Working it all up and down again - 11.7 pounds for a gallon.

Can you drink too much concord grape juice? ›

To reap the most benefits from grape juice, it is best to limit consumption to two to three glasses per day. Excessive consumption of grape juice can result in: Indigestion. Nausea.

How much sugar do I put in a gallon of grape juice wine? ›

A simple calculation is to add 2 pounds of cane sugar (4 Cups) for every gallon of water that was added to the grape juice. This could be pushed up to 2-1/2 pounds (5 Cups) but no more.

Can grape juice turn into wine without yeast? ›

The simple answer is your juice is naturally fermenting because of wild yeast. This is why a wine will ferment without adding yeast, at all. Yeast is everywhere: floating in the air, landing on plants and animals. It is ubiquitous to the nature in which we live.

Does Concord grape juice make good wine? ›

The vast majority of Concord-based wines taste quite sweet, but Concord grapes actually have less sugar than most traditional wine grapes, and they can theoretically be made into a wide range of styles. Usually, winemakers chaptalize, or add sugar, to the wines to account for Concord's naturally lower Brix range.

Is Welch's 100% Concord grape juice good for you? ›

Decades worth of research says that thanks to the dark purple Concord grape and its polyphenol power, 100% grape juice can help support a healthy heart. In fact, Concord grapes and their juice deliver many of the same polyphenols and heart health benefits as red wine.

Is Concord grape juice good for your kidneys? ›

Kidney: Grape juice is diuretic and is excellent for cleaning out the kidney and may help remedy kidney stones. Liver: The abundance of minerals in grapes stimulate the cleansing activity in liver, helps to detoxify.

How long does Concord grape juice last in the fridge? ›

At the highest quality of retention, unopened grape juice can be stored for 6–12 months unrefrigerated. After opening, grape juice can be stored for approximately 7–10 days in the refrigerator before spoilage occurs.

What is the difference between Concord grape juice and regular grape juice? ›

While grapes are sometimes not associated with superfruits, the Concord is a special polyphenol-rich variety that is quite different from standard table grapes. In fact, research has shown that Concord grape juice contains between 74% and 422% more polyphenols than grape juices made from other varieties[3].

How long will grape juice last in the refrigerator? ›

Although the taste might start to change, it can still be safe to drink past the expiry date until it shows signs of spoilage. Once opened, grape juice typically lasts 7-10 days in the fridge before it starts to ferment.

What is Concord grape juice good for? ›

Concord grape juice has been shown to provide many of the same heart-health benefits of red wine, without the worries of alcohol. Specifically, growing research suggests that drinking Concord grape juice can benefit the heart by helping maintain flexible arteries4,7,8 to support healthy circulation.

What is the best way to juice grapes? ›

Instructions
  1. Put the grapes in a heavy-bottomed, lidded 5-quart pot and mash them with a potato masher. ...
  2. Turn the heat off and cool to room temperature (this will take a couple hours).
  3. Strain the juice through a cheesecloth-lined sieve fitted over a bowl to catch the liquid.
Sep 3, 2023

Does concord grape juice make good wine? ›

The vast majority of Concord-based wines taste quite sweet, but Concord grapes actually have less sugar than most traditional wine grapes, and they can theoretically be made into a wide range of styles. Usually, winemakers chaptalize, or add sugar, to the wines to account for Concord's naturally lower Brix range.

What is the difference between concord grape juice and regular grape juice? ›

While grapes are sometimes not associated with superfruits, the Concord is a special polyphenol-rich variety that is quite different from standard table grapes. In fact, research has shown that Concord grape juice contains between 74% and 422% more polyphenols than grape juices made from other varieties[3].

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