I am fortunate to have moved into a home with established concord grape vines. Every year, and especially thanks to the extra nutrients and water from the ducks’ kiddie pool, I’ve been able to harvest upwards of ten pounds of the most flavorful, not-too-tart, not-too-sweet grapes which have never come into contact with herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. I make jam!
The recipe I use is simple – sugar, lemon juice, and grapes. It’s labor intensive - each grape must be peeled, but the jam is delicious and the process is fun. Just about everyone in my house helps.
There’s something very special about eating homemade jam made from grapes from our yard on freshly baked homemade bread. The experience is priceless.
Last year I added wild black raspberries from Land’s Sake farm – part of my ‘payment’ for volunteering with their summer camp. This year, my housemate Laurel suggested I leave some of the skins unprocessed for added texture. I think last year’s jam was better – it was a prettier color and the half pound of black raspberries added a lovely flavor. But this year’s is delicious!
