So yes, I did ask our guests to harvest our grape crop and work.
And, after a salad-and-pizza lunch on Saturday, harvest they did:
It is behind the house, on the slope above, at the end of our driveway.
This year we decided to try and do something with the grapes other than give them to our neighbor to turn into delicious jelly.
In Friday's blog post I asked, Is it OK to ask guests to work?
And you all said, "Yes!"
So, I did.
That's my 90-year old Dad, supervising and snitching grapes; he loves them right off the vine.
And these are very sweet grapes.
My brothers and their wives, my sister and her husband, all got into the field hand mode.
Howard said he was going to get a horse and a rifle and be the overseer.
Instead, he clipped and picked along with the visiting peasants.
I missed the grape picking; I was in the kitchen getting the beef stew for dinner into the oven
and only popped out to take some pictures.
They did a good job of getting almost all the grapes off.
We got two huge bowls of grapes, which considering you always compete
with birds in this harvest, was a pretty good haul.
Just a few raisins left.
Then our field hands did all the sorting and stemming and washing,
and then into the house for the metamorphosis of raw fruit, to jam!
I never claimed to be a neat jam maker.
The scent of the grapes -- raw and cooking -- was intoxicating.
This jam was made without added pectin; today I am using the second half of
the grapes, and making jelly using some pectin.
The jam was put through a Foley food mill to get rid of seeds and skins,
so it's made of the juice and the pulp of the grapes, and is thick and soft.
The jelly will just be the juice, so it will be clearer and the added pectin will make it firmer.
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You have to feed the help after all their work.
A real meal -- no Tablescape here! -- a pot of stew right from the oven, hearty veggies, bottles of wine, apple pie for dessert,
and good appetites after a day outside!
The other end of the table, with Dad at the head:
And he wastes no time tucking into his plate!
Anyway, our first family effort at grape jam making was a success.
Everyone went home with a jar, still hot.
And it was delicious at breakfast in the conservatory the next morning!
Kirby and Doris stayed overnight with us, as they live in Virginia.
They almost did not survive their night in That Old House, but that's a tale for tomorrow's post.
Coarse whole wheat toast, cream cheese and the new jam.
As you can see, it was so good I almost forgot to take a picture!Those are my grandmother's old luncheon plates; she had grapevines
and always made jelly -- one of the reasons my Dad got such a kick out of Saturday's project.
Happy Anniversary to Howard's parents, Milt and Irene -- thanks for the good son you raised!
And ...
Thank You to Howard's sister Phyllis for her word play that inspired the title of this post. :-) It cracked me up! -- Cass
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