Sunday, September 28, 2014

More about Grapes

We'd made grape jamly, and we'd made grape pie, but had we ever made them at the same time in the same kitchen? Not until today. It seemed like a good idea to make both simultaneously so that my hands, the sink, and various parts of the kitchen were stained purple only one afternoon, rather than spreading that joy across a couple of days. And, you know, those grapes aren't going to remain viable forever. At least, I assume they won't. They continue to be quite prolific, however. As for today's adventure, I am happy to say that it all worked out fine. Somehow we ended up with a *lot* of grape jamly (so I'm hoping it's not really grape syrup*) and the pie has been pronounced "better than the first one" so that's all good. (Oh, and the new Cuisinart mini-chopper, purchased to replace the Black & Decker that died shortly after its use in the last round of jamly-making? Fan-tastic!)

Also pictured, the post-production-line snack plate and drinks. The drinks featured some Timber City ginger beer, brewed in South Park and sold at the West Seattle Farmers Market. It's *very* gingery.

Also created this evening, a bit late  in the production cycle, a new label:

*Updated to note that it was a lot more like grape syrup. We opened all the jars and boiled the contents for an additional ten or fifteen minutes until it properly passed the cold plate test. Then we put it back in the freshly boiled jars (it now filled only seven), sealed them up with fresh lids, hot-bathed the lot again for ten minutes, and then happily heard them all ping. Labels still require printing but at least it is now jamly and not syrup.

4 comments:

  1. Ooh, now that's a label! It all looks lovely and scrumptious. And you *do* remember that my birthday, the extra important 60th birthday, is coming up soon, right?

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  2. We'll see how it prints, Alex. And I've been meaning to send some jamly to you via the Eli Express but I tend to remember it on Friday morning, and you work at home Fridays, yes? But one of these days. . . What are you doing for your extra important birthday?

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    1. I am going to the Antiquarian Bookfair at Seattle Center on my extra important birthday, because they obviously scheduled it that day in my honor, seeing as how I will be feeling antiquated by then. I hope they have cake.

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  3. The new Cuisinart's blades are so sharp that they frighten me.

    The pie, she is excellent. I had pie for breakfast today, which is evidence of a loving god.

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