Canning, Freezing and Drying Grapes

Seedless grapes can be canned whole for use in fruit salads or molded gelatin desserts. Grape juice can be canned sweetened or unsweetened. Can unsweetened juice if planning to make jelly later. Add the proper amount of sugar at jelly making time.

Canning grapes
For each 7-quart canner load, you need an average of 14 pounds of fresh grapes. For each 9-pint canner load, you need an average of 9 pounds of fresh grapes.
A lug weighs 26 pounds and yields 12 to 14 quarts of whole grapes — an average of 2 pounds per quart.
Quality. Choose unripe, tight-skinned grapes harvested two weeks before they reach optimum eating quality. Green seedless grapes make the best product.
Procedure. Stem and wash grapes. To prevent stem end darkening, hold grapes in a mixture of water and ascorbic acid (one teaspoon per gallon of water). Prepare very light or light syrup (For light syrup combine 1½ cups of sugar and 5 ¾ cups water. Bring to a boil.)
Hot pack: Blanch grapes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and proceed as for raw pack.
Raw pack: Fill jars with drained grapes and hot syrup; leave 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath as directed in Table below.

Canned Grapes

Freezing grapes
Choose fully-ripe, firm, sweet grapes. Sort, stem and wash. Leave seedless grapes whole; cut table grapes with seeds in half and remove seeds. Grape juice may be frozen, or turned into grape “popsicles” for a icy summer treat.

Syrup pack. Pack into containers, cover with 40 percent syrup, leave headspace, seal and freeze.
Unsweetened pack. Tray freeze seedless only; then pack, leaving no headspace, seal and freeze.
Puree. Wash, stem and crush the grapes. Heat to boiling. Drain off free juice and freeze it separately. Use a colander to remove seeds and hulls. To 1 quart (2 pounds) puree, add 1/2 cup sugar. Pack into containers, seal and freeze.
Juice. For beverages, select fully ripe, firm, sweet grapes. For jelly making, select as recommended in specific jelly recipe. Wash, stem and crush grapes. Add 1 cup water per gallon crushed grapes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain juice through a jelly bag. To remove tartrate crystals, let juice stand overnight in refrigerator. Pour off clear juice for freezing.

Discard sediment that sinks to bottom. Pour juice into containers, leave headspace, seal and freeze. If tartrate crystals form in frozen juice, they may be removed by straining the juice after thawing.
Source: GH1502, Quality for Keeps: Freezing Fruits, University of Missouri Extension.
Drying grapes
To make raisins, use a dehydrator. Because of high humidity, sun-drying is not recommended in Missouri. Grapes are about 80 percent water, while raisins are only about 15 percent water. To dry grapes, ask for GH1563, Quality for Keeps: How to Dry Foods at Home or http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/foodnut/gh1563.htm

Grape juice for jelly
Wash, stem, crush and measure fresh, firm, ripe Concord-type grapes. Heat 10 minutes at simmering. Do not boil. Drain through a damp jelly bag or several thicknesses of cheesecloth. If to be canned, bring to a simmer. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch head space. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in boiling water bath canner. Strain before using.

Other August  2005 Articles:
Missouri Grapes Serve Many Purposes
Questions about Storage and Safety of home Canning Foods
Making Jams & Jellies with Added Pectin