Ive been complaining for years that the raccoons get to our Concord
grapes (think: Welch's) before they are ripe enough to pick. This year
has been different.

We have lots of grape clusters (incomplete pollination) that are quite
ripe and the raccoons didn't discover them until last night. (Or they
discovered the ones growing over the back fence in the neighborhood first.)

We don't eat grape jam or jelly much, but I hate to see the varmints get
the complete harvest so I picked a large basin full yesterday. This
afternoon I spent two hours stemming, crushing, and steaming the grapes
and I haven't decided whether the product will be turned into juice or
jam (too cloudy for jelly.)

If I ever mention my intent to do this again in this ng, someone PLEASE
tell me to have my head examined.

gloria p

Puester wrote:
> Ive been complaining for years that the raccoons get to our Concord
> grapes (think: Welch's) before they are ripe enough to pick. This year
> has been different.
>
> We have lots of grape clusters (incomplete pollination) that are quite
> ripe and the raccoons didn't discover them until last night. (Or they
> discovered the ones growing over the back fence in the neighborhood first.)
>
> We don't eat grape jam or jelly much, but I hate to see the varmints get
> the complete harvest so I picked a large basin full yesterday. This
> afternoon I spent two hours stemming, crushing, and steaming the grapes
> and I haven't decided whether the product will be turned into juice or
> jam (too cloudy for jelly.)
>
> If I ever mention my intent to do this again in this ng, someone PLEASE
> tell me to have my head examined.
>
> gloria p

LOL! Oh well, after this is all behind you, you may be glad you did it.
Cooking some things is like child birth, you forget how bad it was,
until you are going through it again. Then you remember, "Oh yeah, I
hated this!"

Becca