This year the grapes didn’t ripen very well — they have low sugars (10-13 brix) and won’t make good wine. The low sugars are due to the downy mildew that prematurely defoliated the vines and prevented them from ripening the grapes adequately.

While these low-sugar grapes are not great for wine, they make excellent jam and jelly! We are welcoming all community members to come harvest grapes for home use. Please maintain social distance from other harvesters and enjoy the grapes!

Here’s a tasty and simple recipe from one of our community members:
“I first cooked down the grape juice until it is reduced to half. Then I follow the recipe on the Sure Jell Box. Here, I cut down the sugar by 1/3 and the Sure Jelly by a quarter. This gives a softer texture to the jelly. I did not add any other flavor to it as the those grapes have such a wonderful wine flavor to it in any case.”

What will you do with your grapes? Let us know. Tag us on Instagram with #gggrapeharvest2020