Making grape juice

Late August means the grape harvest is upon us here in the San Joaquin Valley. Table grapes, wine grapes, and grapes for raisins are all ready. Table grapes are cut by hand and usually packed in boxes right out in the fields. Wine grapes are picked at night, by mechanical harvesters, and carried to the wineries in big dumpsters for the crush. Raisins may still be harvested by hand, but the “trays” on which the grapes dry are now put down by machine, one long, continuous roll of paper. The hot days of August and September will quickly turn those grapes to dried fruit.

Our pastor’s wife had put a plea on Facebook for people to come get the grapes from their backyard vine. It has produced a large quantity this year, more than they could consume. Even her office mates were tired of the fruit. I had a tray of grapes from Fresno State on my dining room table when she made the offer so dismissed it. A few days later, though, it occurred to me that we could juice the grapes and use the juice for communion!

I told her my idea on Sunday, sort of laughing about it. She still had bags of grapes in the refrigerator and she was leaving the next day for Alaska. If I was willing to juice the grapes they were mine for the taking. Although small in size, and some not ripe enough to “crush,” the grapes produced about a half quart of juice. I took a picture and sent it to her to share with the pastor and tell him about my hair-brained scheme. I put the jar in the freezer and will give it to them when they return from their Alaska vacation.

The juice is quite sweet, and if there are again plenty of grapes next year, I suggested we try our hand at grape jelly. I’ll probably have more interest in that product than communion grape juice!