they're popping now.

- 12 half pints
- 6 larger jars (12-14oz)
- 3 smaller jars

after all the fun i had with
picking rotting grapes off the
vine every day (nice shade
under the arbor ) and worry
about rampaging raccoons
and Hitchcockian Birds, finally
i can call it done and eat the
rest as they ripen. if i get around
to it. i'll leave the netting on for
a few more days as the sun is
going to be beating down and the
temp is going to be in the 90s.

increase in production from
previous year about 1000%.
price per jar increase about
3000% but the collander will
be useful for other things (we
needed one) and the new half-
pint jars were a treat.

peace,


songbird

On 8/28/2010 4:10 PM, songbird wrote:
> they're popping now.
>
> - 12 half pints
> - 6 larger jars (12-14oz)
> - 3 smaller jars
>
> after all the fun i had with
> picking rotting grapes off the
> vine every day (nice shade under the arbor ) and worry about
> rampaging raccoons
> and Hitchcockian Birds, finally i can call it done and eat the rest as
> they ripen. if i get around to it. i'll leave the netting on for a few
> more days as the sun is going to be beating down and the temp is going
> to be in the 90s.
>
> increase in production from
> previous year about 1000%.
> price per jar increase about
> 3000% but the collander will
> be useful for other things (we needed one) and the new half-
> pint jars were a treat.
>
> peace,
>
>
> songbird

Good work. I still think you should make some home made wine. Doesn't
take a lot of work just some sugar, yeast and a little water then let it
sit and bubble until done. I used to use a five-gallon plastic jug with
a screw-on lid with a spout on it. I hooked up some quarter-inch
diameter tygon tubing to that spout, ran it down and into a quart jar
three-quarters full of water and let her bubble until done. I kept it in
the shower stall in the guest bathroom.

On 8/28/2010 4:18 PM, George Shirley wrote:
> On 8/28/2010 4:10 PM, songbird wrote:
>> they're popping now.
>>
>> - 12 half pints
>> - 6 larger jars (12-14oz)
>> - 3 smaller jars
>>
>> after all the fun i had with
>> picking rotting grapes off the
>> vine every day (nice shade under the arbor ) and worry about
>> rampaging raccoons
>> and Hitchcockian Birds, finally i can call it done and eat the rest as
>> they ripen. if i get around to it. i'll leave the netting on for a few
>> more days as the sun is going to be beating down and the temp is going
>> to be in the 90s.
>>
>> increase in production from
>> previous year about 1000%.
>> price per jar increase about
>> 3000% but the collander will
>> be useful for other things (we needed one) and the new half-
>> pint jars were a treat.
>>
>> peace,
>>
>>
>> songbird
>
> Good work. I still think you should make some home made wine. Doesn't
> take a lot of work just some sugar, yeast and a little water then let it
> sit and bubble until done. I used to use a five-gallon plastic jug with
> a screw-on lid with a spout on it. I hooked up some quarter-inch
> diameter tygon tubing to that spout, ran it down and into a quart jar
> three-quarters full of water and let her bubble until done. I kept it in
> the shower stall in the guest bathroom.

I should have added that, if you don't drink alcoholic beverages, you
could turn it into a nice vinegar.

songbird wrote:
> they're popping now.
>
>
> after all the fun i had with
> picking rotting grapes off the
> vine every day (nice shade under the arbor ) and worry about
> rampaging raccoons and Hitchcockian Birds, finally i can call it done and eat the rest as
> they ripen.


Wow, looking outside, I have to think you are a lot further south than
we are (Denver area). Ours are still pretty green with one or two in
each bunch just beginning to change color. We've already had a visit
from the raccoons. I could hear them on the roof, sounded as though
people were walking around out there. They'll get the major share of
the grapes, but they evidently don't eat apricots and even the squirrels
and birds didn't do much damage this year.

Enjoy your jam!

gloria p

gloria.p wrote:
> songbird wrote:

>> they're popping now.
>>
>>
>> after all the fun i had with
>> picking rotting grapes off the
>> vine every day (nice shade under the arbor ) and worry about
>> rampaging raccoons and Hitchcockian Birds, finally i can call it
>> done and eat the rest as they ripen.
>
>
> Wow, looking outside, I have to think you are a lot further south than
> we are (Denver area).

i'm near:

43.29°N 84.15°W (Elev. 590 ft)
(mid michigan)

probably the lower elevation and the
fact that we've had a lot of very hot weather
and very little rain has sped things up a few
weeks. normally i'm a little later than this
when i harvest most of the grapes. i still have
about 10% left and most of them are quite
green so i'll have grapes for a few weeks
yet unless the critters or hard frost gets
them first.


> Ours are still pretty green with one or two in
> each bunch just beginning to change color. We've already had a visit
> from the raccoons. I could hear them on the roof, sounded as though
> people were walking around out there. They'll get the major share of
> the grapes, but they evidently don't eat apricots and even the
> squirrels and birds didn't do much damage this year.
>
> Enjoy your jam!

thank you, it's yummy, i had some leftover
little bit for testing on some crackers with
peanut butter. it's not as good as last year's
batch, but perfectly acceptable and 10 times
better than store bought as it still has
texture and more zing than they have.

Denver is a nice place, i've spent a fair
amount of time around there as my sister
used to live there. if it weren't so dry
i could consider living there.


songbird

George Shirley wrote:
> On 8/28/2010 4:18 PM, George Shirley wrote:
....
>> Good work.

thanks George,


>> I still think you should make some home made wine. Doesn't
>> take a lot of work just some sugar, yeast and a little water then
>> let it sit and bubble until done. I used to use a five-gallon
>> plastic jug with a screw-on lid with a spout on it. I hooked up some
>> quarter-inch diameter tygon tubing to that spout, ran it down and
>> into a quart jar three-quarters full of water and let her bubble
>> until done. I kept it in the shower stall in the guest bathroom.
>
> I should have added that, if you don't drink alcoholic beverages, you
> could turn it into a nice vinegar.

right, i'm not much of a drinker George. thanks
for the idea. my ex-step-dad was heavy into
wine-making for many years, and i did a lot of
reading up on it to help him out with questions and
we talked a lot about different recipes. i'm pretty
decent on most techniques of wine making and not
afraid to use the library (or internet these days) if
i'm curious. most of it though gives me headaches
or leaves me feeling poor so i don't drink now.

the first good year i grew concords at the old place
(30 years ago, before i went off to college) he made
a good batch of concord wine that i could drink. since
i had 4 vines and no rot or raccoon troubles i had
plenty of grapes that year. the next year i went
away to college and Ma wrote me a letter that
started "I cut back the grapes and the roses..." if
you could have heard me scream... :-O i had one
more year of work with the vines to restore them
before the house was sold (no crop that year).

fast forward to here, one grape vine, no room
for more at the moment and having to cope with
critters and rot, i'm really wanting the grapes for
eating and jam making first and if i get a huge
crop next year i'll consider other uses but probably
will go for grape juice (as i love that too) and
more jam for gifting.


songbird

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
....
> It sounds wonderful!

it is, thanks! today i was at a relatives
place where they had a concord on a normal
trellis. they have a prime location, on a hill
in sandy loam. i was so envious as there
was no rot trouble observed. just nice
bunches of ripening grapes.

i snuck a grape ( ) and forgot to ask
if they were going to make jam or juice
with them.


> I was never fortunate to have grapes growing in our yard, but our
> last house in Ohio was in the country and only a few miles from a
> vineyard that supplied the major part of their crop to Welch's. The
> remainder were sold locally, either for picking or already picked.
> Each summer we would buy a peck and make bathes of grape jam. So
> dellicious.

that smell is so wonderful and like many
garden smells hard to capture completely in
jam.

like the smell of good dirt itself. in the
middle of winter i want that smell along
with the green growing smell so i visit the
friendly greenhouse once in a while and
browse a bit.

today, while out walking, i was reminded
that ripening corn has some wonderful
smells.


> We did have Italian plum trees on our property and would make plum
> jam each year. Also delicious.

i'll bet. what is the difference between
Italian plums and the purple plums you'd see
at the store (or those turned into prunes)?


songbird

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>songbird told us...
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
....
>>> I was never fortunate to have grapes growing in our yard, but our
>>> last house in Ohio was in the country and only a few miles from a
>>> vineyard that supplied the major part of their crop to Welch's.
>>> The remainder were sold locally, either for picking or already
>>> picked. Each summer we would buy a peck and make bathes of grape
>>> jam. So dellicious.
>>
>> that smell is so wonderful and like many
>> garden smells hard to capture completely in
>> jam.
>>
>> like the smell of good dirt itself. in the
>> middle of winter i want that smell along
>> with the green growing smell so i visit the
>> friendly greenhouse once in a while and
>> browse a bit.
>>
>> today, while out walking, i was reminded
>> that ripening corn has some wonderful
>> smells.
>
> Such wonderful images you evoke!

thanks, sometimes i get the
words in the right order (like
a shakespearean monkey on crack
*snicker*).

i went out today and examined
the brain's underside to see if
enough of the remaining grapes
were going ripen all at once to
make a small batch. it looks
good for Thursday if they are
still there. i need some smaller
jars to give away as i realized
i was not spreading the love
around enough using 18oz jars
(i thought those were 12-14oz!
Doh!).


>>> We did have Italian plum trees on our property and would make
>>> plum jam each year. Also delicious.
>>
>> i'll bet. what is the difference between
>> Italian plums and the purple plums you'd see
>> at the store (or those turned into prunes)?
>
> The Italian plus are also dark purple, but they are a bit smaller and
> the flesh is more dense with a stronger plum flavor and a bit less
> liquid.
>
> I made jam once from plus you'd buy at the market. It paled by
> comparison.

ok, thanks for description,


songbird

Hun Bun and meself picked 5 gallons of wild mustang grapes in July.
They are in the freezer...I am working at home for almost the entire
month of September and...haven't made a single batch of jam or jelly.
Finally got the book shelves Hun Bun has been promising me for ages.
*Three* of the nine (really eight*) shelves are purely canning/
preserving books. *The bottom shelf belongs to the ferrets...

Not going to count the big batch of pear-apple butter spiked with
cinnamon I made for our adopted son that visited last week. He scored
four pints, I kept two ½ pints. Should keep him for a little while.

Hmmm...plum sounds good...got some of those in the freezer too--
locally grown, picked them with a friend in June, 75¢ a pound. Maybe
a batch with a vanilla bean??? I'll have to look for the book that
one was in...

I'd best get something done this weekend. As soon as I get past my
two-year "assessment". It's sort of like a test but not really, just
have to do it to make the regulators happy...that is Wednesday...get
to spend (I mean waste) as whole day in Houston--trying to remember
what I 'learnt' two years ago when I was in school.

Keep Smiling--Happy Day...

On 9/13/2010 9:49 PM, Mimi wrote:
> Hun Bun and meself picked 5 gallons of wild mustang grapes in July.
> They are in the freezer...I am working at home for almost the entire
> month of September and...haven't made a single batch of jam or jelly.
> Finally got the book shelves Hun Bun has been promising me for ages.
> *Three* of the nine (really eight*) shelves are purely canning/
> preserving books. *The bottom shelf belongs to the ferrets...
>
> Not going to count the big batch of pear-apple butter spiked with
> cinnamon I made for our adopted son that visited last week. He scored
> four pints, I kept two ½ pints. Should keep him for a little while.
>
> Hmmm...plum sounds good...got some of those in the freezer too--
> locally grown, picked them with a friend in June, 75¢ a pound. Maybe
> a batch with a vanilla bean??? I'll have to look for the book that
> one was in...
>
> I'd best get something done this weekend. As soon as I get past my
> two-year "assessment". It's sort of like a test but not really, just
> have to do it to make the regulators happy...that is Wednesday...get
> to spend (I mean waste) as whole day in Houston--trying to remember
> what I 'learnt' two years ago when I was in school.
>
> Keep Smiling--Happy Day...
>

What do you do for a living Mimi, curious minds and all that?

All the jamming and jelling sounds good too. We've planted our fall
garden already, green beans, cauliflower, sweet peas, broccoli, Tokyo
Cross turnips, swiss chard goes in early next month. I don't know where
we will put the harvest, the big freezer is still full from the
spring/summer garden and we're still eating chard from last fall.

<snip> What do you do for a living Mimi, curious minds and all that?
<snip>

I work for a financial services firm--I wear a couple of hats.
Technically, I have all the licenses necessary to be a financial
advisor but, I still have 'training wheels' on. I also hold two other
titles: director of public relations and registered assistant.

Spent today baking bread and working. Multi-tasking is *great*. A
large loaf of spelt bread for us and challah for a lunch I help to
cater at a local women's training center.

: - ]

On 9/16/2010 10:30 PM, Mimi wrote:
> <snip> What do you do for a living Mimi, curious minds and all that?
> <snip>
>
> I work for a financial services firm--I wear a couple of hats.
> Technically, I have all the licenses necessary to be a financial
> advisor but, I still have 'training wheels' on. I also hold two other
> titles: director of public relations and registered assistant.
>
> Spent today baking bread and working. Multi-tasking is *great*. A
> large loaf of spelt bread for us and challah for a lunch I help to
> cater at a local women's training center.
>
> : - ]
>
Our daughter-in-law became a licensed realtor last year and is now
working on getting a ticket to teach realty to folks. She also works
from home and is doing quite well for herself in the Houston area. All
that while looking after our son and two half-grown kids. I am in awe of
all the women entrepreneurs in the world.

That was one of the joys of my job as a safety consultant, I worked from
home, clean the house, cook some dinner, work in the garden, do some
technical writing, write a magazine article or two, visit a couple of
clients, back to the house. Even though I call myself retired I still do
technical writing, with computers and email it is the easiest job in the
world.

We're still looking at houses over in your area of Texas and, by next
June we hope, we will be buying one somewhere in that area. My lovely
wife has decided to "finally" retire from teaching art to elementary
students.