Concord Grape Juice

I received a few pounds of concord grapes from the farmers market this year and decided to use them to make grape juice.  Wow did it taste good, and it was so easy to make too - let me show you how it's done. 

Start with delicious concord grapes.  These were super sweet and juicy.

Remove all the stems and give them a good rinse.

Place the grapes in a large casserole pan or deep skillet and use a potato masher to squash them really well.  Did you know the inside of those dark purple grapes were light green?  

Add a cup of water to the pan...

And keep mashing.  Mash, mash, mash.

Simmer gently, mashing every now and then until the grapes completely break down.

When the mixture looks like this, you're almost done.  Just a few minutes longer.

And here it is - all the grape insides have broken down and we're left with a whole bunch of empty grape skins.

Strain the liquids from the solids using a sieve. 

Wow, just look at that color!

Don't be afraid to press the solids to get all that juice.   Cool completely and taste carefully - the juice is very concentrated at this point so dilute with cold water as needed.  For my batch, I added 1 part water to 1 part concentrated juice.  That's all there is to it folks!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• rondeau https://amzn.to/3usBnSy

• potato masher https://amzn.to/3sjm5ga

• mesh sieve https://amzn.to/34IHbfF

• glass juice bottles https://amzn.to/3uyAbNB

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Concord Grape Juice

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound concord grapes, rinsed and stems removed

• 1 cup water

• more water, as needed, for serving

Directions

1. Place grapes and water in a large casserole pan or deep skillet; use a potato masher to squash the grapes.

2. Simmer over medium heat, mashing occasionally until the grapes break down as shown above.

3. Remove from heat and strain grape seeds and skins from the liquid; cool completely.

4. Taste juice and add cold water to dilute, if needed (I diluted my juice with equal parts water). Refrigerate for up to a week.

Blueberry Pomegranate Chia Smoothie

This smoothie is not only delicious, but it contains blueberries, pomegranate juice, greek yogurt, and chia seeds making it high in protein and antioxidants too.  

This recipe uses gelled chia seeds (directions below) which need to be made ahead.  I like to make a big batch of chia seed gel each week to keep in the fridge so we can make our own smoothies and chia seed drinks (like these) whenever the mood strikes.  

Fresh blueberries - considered a "super food" and they happen to be my favorite berry - Yum!

Plain greek yogurt - full of protein.

Pomegranate juice - full of nutrients and antioxidants.

Blend until smooth.

Chia seed gel - full of nutrients, fiber, protein, and antioxidants.  Super great stuff!

One part blueberry, pomegranate, greek yogurt mixture and one part chia seed gel.

Stir together and Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• chia seeds https://amzn.to/3fK3faM

• pomegranate juice https://amzn.to/2yFNZve

• nutribullet https://amzn.to/2xUbvnB

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Blueberry Pomegranate Chia Smoothie

makes 2 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or thawed)

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice

• gelled chia seeds (recipe below)

Directions

1. In a personal blender, combine blueberries, greek yogurt, and pomegranate juice; blend until smooth.

2. In 2 tall glasses stir together one part blueberry mixture to one part gelled chia seeds.

Note

• To make 1 cup of chia seed gel, combine 3 tablespoons chia seeds and 1 cup water, stir occasionally for about an hour, then store in the fridge for several hours until the seeds absorb all the water - this usually takes a few hours.   

• I like to make a big batch of chia seed gel each week to keep in the fridge so we can make our own smoothies and chia seed drinks (like these) whenever the mood strikes.