My grapes are dying!! Help!

[Jewel]

Boy did I do something stupid on Saturday. I was in my local grocery stocking up on things I would need for the weekend. Suddenly I had the bright idea to use our Juiceman Juicer on Sunday morning. Our favorite juice is Apple/Grape, so I bought the apples, wandered over to the grape section, and picked up a hefty bag of red grapes. Sign said $3.99. I said to myself, 'Hmmm...pricey, but they look so good!" and gently placed them in my basket. When I got to the checkout counter they rung up as $3.99 per POUND (duh!) and I didn't have the guts to tell the nice lady I didn't WANT $10.75 worth of red grapes, so I bought them. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif Got them home. Then slapped my forehead when I remembered my Juiceman was 40 miles away in my best friend's home making fresh juice for my GodDaughter.

I have grapes that are slowly dying! I've got one or two days left to use these expensive little guys and I have absolutely no idea what to do with them! No way in poop I'm gonna let them croak, but they're on their last legs. Neither myself or DH likes just snacking on them, and they're sorta (blush) past that snacking stage anyway. HELP!!

[djoygirl]

freeze them, then maybe you'll like snacking on them. They're like mini popsicles--very good, especially in summer.

[Mamasue]

I second djoygirl! I also had some that needed to be taken care of soon and threw them on a cookie sheet in the freezer to fast freeze them before throwing them in a freezer bag. They are great to munch on a few here and a few there, especially with the temperature rising....they are refreshing to pop in your mouth! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[KValley]

Originally posted by Jewel:
Boy did I do something stupid on Saturday. I was in my local grocery stocking up on things I would need for the weekend. Suddenly I had the bright idea to use our Juiceman Juicer on Sunday morning. Our favorite juice is Apple/Grape, so I bought the apples, wandered over to the grape section, and picked up a hefty bag of red grapes. Sign said $3.99. I said to myself, 'Hmmm...pricey, but they look so good!" and gently placed them in my basket. When I got to the checkout counter they rung up as $3.99 per POUND (duh!) and I didn't have the guts to tell the nice lady I didn't WANT $10.75 worth of red grapes, so I bought them. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

Oh Jewel- thank you!! I am shaking with giggles- I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago- pride kept me from admitting that I never intended to purchase $10 worth of Chilean grapes- or was I simply speechless from the shock!

Freezing sounds great- for four days we gobbled grapes like they were going out of style. All that good fiber... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif

[djoygirl]

Jewel and Kvalley, you guys just reminded me of something similarly stupid I did when I was in college and had just begun cooking. Except that I did it with filet mignon. Ended up with a $60 piece of meat which I had wanted to use for a pot roast! I felt too dumb to admit my mistake, so I sucked it up and payed for it (with my visa of course)

[Vanessa]

Grape recipes to the rescue!!!!
Crumb Crust
This simple cookie-crumb crust can be made with graham crackers, gingersnaps, or vanilla wafers. Yields: one 9-inch crust

1 1/2 cups fine cookie crumbs (graham cracker, gingersnap, or vanilla wafer)*
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, with fork, stir crumbs and sugar with melted margarine or butter until evenly blended and moistened. With hand, press mixture onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate or 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
2. Bake crust 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Grape & Ginger Tart
Mix red and green grapes with seedless black ones if all three varieties are available.

Serves: 10
Crumb Crust (recipe above)
1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons finely slivered or chopped crystallized ginger
2 cups seedless green and red grapes, each cut in half
2 tablespoons apple jelly, melted

1. Prepare and bake Crumb Crust as recipe directs for 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom using gingersnap cookies; cool.
2. In medium bowl, with spoon or fork, mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger until evenly blended. Spoon filling into cooled crust; spread evenly.
3. Place enough grape halves, cut side down, on top of filling to make a single layer. Scatter remaining grape halves over pie.
4. With pastry brush, carefully brush warm apple jelly over grapes and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon slivered crystallized ginger. If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. Let tart stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Each serving: About 265 calories, 4 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 12 g total fat (5 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 13 mg cholesterol, 325 mg sodium.

Grapevine Salad
Your friends will want to know where you got this. Tell them you "heard it through the grapevine." Yields: 4 to 6 servings
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups any type seedless grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained
2 bananas, sliced
In a small saucepan, cook eggs and orange juice over very low heat until slightly thickened, stirring constantly; set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Fold in the egg mixture until evenly combined and refrigerate overnight to "marry" the flavors.

GRAPE TART

To get the look we wanted for this tart, we used grapes in assorted colors and shapes and halved the larger ones. Taste grapes before making the pastry cream. Their flavor will determine how much sugar you use— if the grapes are tart, use 1/3 cup sugar; if sweet, use 1/4 cup.

For pastry cream
3 large egg yolks
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of grapes
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 lb.), thawed
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups red and green grapes
2 tablespoons red-currant jelly

Make pastry cream:
Whisk together yolks and 1/2 of sugar, then whisk in flour and a pinch salt. Stir together milk and remaining sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil over moderate heat. Whisk 1/2 of hot milk into yolks to temper and whisk yolks into milk remaining in pan. Bring custard to a boil over moderate heat and boil, whisking constantly, until very thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter until incorporated. Chill hot pastry cream in a bowl, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper, until cold, about 1 hour.

Make tart:
Preheat oven to 425°F while pastry cream chills. Open puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 14- by 12-inch rectangle. Quarter pastry to form 4 rectangles. Brush 1/3 inch of edges lightly with water and fold in borders. Brush off excess flour and press borders with back of a fork to seal. Brush borders lightly with water and sprinkle with sugar. ***** insides of shells all over with fork. Bake on a large baking sheet in middle of oven until crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, and transfer to a rack. Gently flatten puff pastry inside border to deflate, and cool completely.

Halve and seed grapes if necessary. Melt jelly, stirring, and toss with grapes in a bowl.

Spread pastry cream in shells with a spatula and top with grapes.

Cooks' notes:
• Pastry cream may be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
• Pastry shells can be baked 4 hours ahead, then cooled and kept, covered, at room temperature. If not making ahead, you’ll want to bake pastry while cream is chilling.

Serves 6.Gourmet September 1999

[Jewel]

Thanks everyone!! I should have mentioned that I think these grapes are past even the freezing stage. They're softening a bit! My grandma used to make the most WONDERFUL Thompson Grape Cobbler, but she used the itty-bitty wild Thompsons, not the big honkers that I have here. The big ones don't seem to work as well in a pie unless maybe I cut them in half like Vanessa's recipe suggests?? Maybe it's time to call Grandma!

So grapes won't work for smoothies, huh?

[aggie94]

Originally posted by Jewel:
So grapes won't work for smoothies, huh?

I've read somewhere, I think on this BB, that grapes are about the only fruit that doesn't work in smoothies. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

And sorry I don't have any suggestions for what to do with your grapes. If it were me, I'd probably have to let 'em go to waste and suck it up as a lesson learned.

[funnybone]

I used to be embarrased by deciding not to buy something at the checkout when I realized how much it really cost. However, after seeing way too many people do it, and realizing I have nobody to impress there, and that it is my money after all, I speak up now.

[Leanne]

Probably more trouble than you want - but what about grape jelly or preserves? I, of course, have no idea how to make them, but I'm sure someone does.

I would also imagine that you could cook the grapes & reduce then to some sort of sauce to serve with pork maybe? Pears, apples, and peaches go so well with it, why not grapes? (I thought of this, b/c I have a friend who makes an appetizer with tiny hot dogs that calls for grape jelly.)

[maizeyoats]

Oh no....don't tell me I can't use mine in a smoothie.
How come?

[Jewel]

Originally posted by maizeyoats:
Oh no....don't tell me I can't use mine in a smoothie.
How come?

Maizey, right now...imagine a grape in a blender. Skin flying off in chunks, the squishy colorless pulpy stuff inside...you want to drink that? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[aggie94]

maizeyoats,

Have you actually used them in a smoothie before? If they work for you, by all means, keep drinking them! I think what I read is that they just don't make a good smoothie, like other fruits do. If you haven't tried it, maybe you would like to and report back to us on how they turned out!

[maizeyoats]

No I have not tried grapes (but remember wine comes from grapes.)that's what I was thinking of....not the skins flying all around, Jewel.
I am getting set to make a smoothie with non-fat frozen vanilla yogurt and a Dole raspberry fruit bar and I guess a banana.
I am very new to making smoothies so I am still experimenting. I think I better get myself to the smoothie site.

[Beth]

The same book I pulled down to check the substitution for baking powder (The Southern Living Cookbook) has 2 grape jelly recipes.

Quick Grape Jelly

2 cups bottled unsweetened grape juice (since you're going to cook it anyway, I would think you could use fresh, it just won't be that quick.)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 3-oz pkg liquid pectin

Combine grape juice and sugar in large Dutch oven; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin; boil one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Quickly pour jelly into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. COver at once with metal lids and screwon bands. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. Makes 4 half pints.

Concord Grape Jelly

3 1/2 pounds Concord Grapes
1/2 cup water
7 cups sugar
1 3-oz package liquid pectin

Sort and wash grapes, remove stems and place in large Dutch oven. Crush grapes and add water. Bring mixture to a bil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. . Press mixture through a jelly bag (or a very fine strainer, extracting 4 cups juice. Cover and let sit 8 hours in a cool place.

Strain juice through a double thickness of damp cheesecloth. Combine juice and sugar in a large Dutch oven and stir well. Place over hight heat; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rapid boil. Add pectin and bring to a full, rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Quickly pour hot mixture into hot jelly jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids and screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. Makes 8 half pints.

There have been a couple of threads on canning in the past, but if you have trouble finding them and want to try jelly, I'll try to walk you through it.

[Jewel]

Well...thanks for all the suggestions my friends, but I have some sad news:

You are reading a Grape Obituary

6/14/01-
A Renton, Washington woman came home from work Thursday afternoon to find one of her two dogs welcoming her home as usual, but the second dog strangely absent. Upon searching the home, she found her 1-1/2 year old female Siberian Husky "Sasha" in the corner of the guest room with a shredded plastic bag in front of her on the floor. The animal had a strangely colored pigmentation covering her muzzle, that upon closer inspection was found to be red grape juice. After cleaning the multitude of green stems and grape residue from the guest room carpet, she sat down to deal with the dog, who was reported to look extremely proud of herself. At this time no formal charges are being filed, but the dog is being quarantined to the outside of the home for 24 hours, to assure that any residual expulsion of the nearly 3 lbs of red grapes does not do any MORE damage to her carpet. Anyone wishing to adopt this dog after the quarantine period is asked to contact this woman directly....

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

[Beth]

LOL. Thanks for a much-needed laugh. Hope you get the grape juice out of the carpet. Have you tried Capture or Resolve dry dowder cleaners? Capture is sold at Home Depot and other stores and works very well. I cut myself shaving one night while taking a long soak in the tub. I didn't know it until the next morning, so I got to prove how well it worked on off-white carpet in the bedroom and bathroom.

[SandyM]

Oh Miss J - I am so sorry!!! So much for your Julia Roberts marathon..........

[SoCal]

I say problem solved http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif !!

[Linda in MO]

This looks interesting...

Italian Fresh Purple Grape Cake

Do not look at me that way! I'm serious - put grapes in this cake!!! *lol* It really is a gorgeous cake, a little high on the fat but honestly worth it if you only do it once in a while. I kind of just included the recipe to give you guys a start - grapes in a cake, whoever heard of such a thing! But you know... Olive oil IS good for you!!! ;-)

2 eggs (or 4 egg whites)
2/3 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
grated zest of 1 orange
10 ounces small purple grapes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour the 9 inch springform cake pan, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk and vanilla extract, and mix until blended. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and orange zest, and toss to coat the zest with flour. Spoon the flour mixture into the bowl of batter and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix once more. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquids. Stir in about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the center of the oven at 350 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top of the cake with the deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with fingertip. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides of the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.
Makes 16 servings

127.00 Cal (49.20% from Fat, 5.10% from Protein, 45.70% from Carb); 1.65 g Protein; 7.09 g Tot Fat; 2.51 g Sat Fat; 3.60 g Mono Fat; 0.52 g Poly Fat; 14.80 g Carb; 0.28 g Fiber; 27.57 mg Calcium; 0.39 mg Iron; 64.83 mg Sodium; 182.62 IU Vit A; 0.77 mg Vit C; 38.68 mg Cholesterol

[Jewel]

Originally posted by SoCal:
I say problem solved http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif !!


Well...one problem anyway! Sasha has been duly quarantined and I'm very glad I did. We seem to have these weird looking, steaming purple 'land mines' in the back yard. I guess fresh fruit does to dogs what it does to people, huh? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Mamasue]

residual expulsion of the nearly 3 lbs of red grapes does not do any MORE damage to her carpet.

OMG...I can't stop laughing! Jewel, you have found your calling.....you should be a writer. I visualized the whole story, especially the ending results (above).....eeeeeeegad. http://mamasue52.homestead.com/files/smiley_laughing_out_loud.gif

[Jewel]

Thanks Mamasue! Now I'm laughing at your graphic! Actually, I was a Journalism major in high school and college, and I tried my hand at free-lance writing in my 20's, but I never pursued it as a career. Family and friends have told me for years that I need to 'use what God gave me' but I guess I'm afraid to 'just do it'. Not sure how well my twisted sense of humor would sell! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

According to my husband I should be writing those one page 'essays' in magazines that poke fun at topics like shopping at a grocery store with kids, or trying to walk onto a nude beach without staring at everyone else's stuff... Who knows, maybe I'll submit something to Cosmo one day! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif Thanks again!