Make Juice Without A Juicer August 15 2016

Organic Grapes On The VineAfter a couple months of summer heat, grapes on our vine are ripening quickly.  Warm days really made them taste sweeter than ever.  At times I would fine many bunches ripening all at once.  That's the thing with food -- if you don't enjoy them fast enough, they will end up in your compost.

I supposed we can freeze the remaining grapes, but we really like to enjoy our fruits fresh for their maximum nutritional benefit. So these tiny, plump balls of sweetness ended up in our salads, baked goods, roasted dishes, and juices!

Grape Muffins, and Grape Juice

Over the weekend, our friend, who also has a grape vine, gifted a container of grapes to us!  It's a variety with very hard seed inside so we decided to extract the juice rather than eating whole.  Some of them were starting to ferment as well so we had to pick through and use them quickly.

When making juice, you will notice your fruits disappear in a snap!  Since I don't own a juicer, I used a blender to extract it.  You can do this with any juicy fruits such as oranges, plums, peaches, nectarines, or berries in a blender to make juice.  See how I did it below!
  How To Make Juice With Blender

How To Juice With Blender
Step 1:   Wash and pick out the good grapes and put in the blender. I leave the bad ones for composting.
Step 2:   Add 1/2-1 cup of water in the blender.
Step 3:   Blend until fruits are broken in small pieces.  The grapes my friend gifted had really hard seeds so I did not run the blender on high.  It was only blending fast enough to break down the flesh. 
Step 4:   Place sifter over a container, pour liquid through a sifter to strain.  Use a spoon or any kitchen utensil to press on the blended liquid as it would help the juice to pass the sifter.
Step 5:   To make juice smoother, you can repeat straining then enjoy!

How To Bake With Grapes
Seedless grapes work best in baked goods since you can place them whole in the batter, otherwise slice grape in half to remove seed.  Add fresh grapes in any muffin, cake, or bread recipes you like!  The grapes will caramelize, and bring a sweet & tang twist to your baked goods.

Hopefully you can get creative with your fruits when there's abundance of them.  Happy Gardening and Healthy Eating!

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