Making Grape Jelly with Mother Goose

We are taking time out of our regularly scheduled story telling today to explain how Mother Goose makes Grape Jelly. Now I realize that this is probably not one of my totally necessary tasks — after all, couldn’t we just fly on over to the Whole Foods Market and pick up such a nice jar of organic Grape Jelly and within minutes be slathering it all over our toast. Mother Goose says, “Well, of course!” But here’s the point: we have a grape vine growing over our back gate, and it’s just completely loaded with little grapes. I have been waiting for them to ripen and hoping that the racoons will leave me a few — they come every night for a grape festival.

(Photo courtesy of Mad Dog and Englishwoman blog on Word Press, THANKS!)

We hear them arguing and have even seen them munching in the arbor. They drop quite a few on the sidewalk, and then stomp on them as they leave the feast. What is left behind on the ground will ferment, and I know they will be back for THAT party. So, it was time to harvest the grapes.

So we picked all the glorious clusters of grapes and filled the spaghetti pot. Then Mother Goose cleaned and sorted the grapes, throwing away the leaves and stems and sour green grapes. This left approximately half of a pot of grapes…hardly enough to even piddle around with. But…. Mr. Mother Goose thoughtfully went out to the grocery store and bought bunches and bunches of purple seedless grapes and added them to the pot, making it all very worthwhile again.

And here’s where it gets personal, warm and friendly reader. Mother Goose removed her boots and climbed into the spaghetti pot and proceeded to stomp the grapes in the days-gone-by manner of the vineyards. Yes, she mashed and stomped and got all that grape juice on her little goose feet and got the skins tangled up in her toes. It was a delightful experience — just as wonderful as I Love Lucy portrayed it so long ago. Squashy squashy, squishy squishy.
(Unfortunately, there are no pictures for me to post as proof that this really happened…..)

But here’s what the juice of all those grapes looks like after I boiled it awhile, and you’ll just have to trust me about the stomping part…

And then, of course, we must strain the grapes, removing all of the solid matter and disposing of it in a timely fashion. It was kind of my little panda bear friend to help me with this…

Stay tuned tomorrow when Mother Goose magically turns the grape juice into Grape Jelly. Or wine. And drinks it all.