[Sca-cooks] grapes for verjuice

[Sue Clemenger]

I don't know what kind they are, Stefan.  They do turn purple when ripe, 
so they're not a red or white grape, although they don't look like 
Concords.  I'm not exactly sure what grows up here--our winters are a 
bit dicey for grape vine survival.
If they were my grapes, I'd probably do just about what you suggested, 
and try a batch at different times of year, but they're not, and I think 
my neighbor's going to be awfully nice just to let me do one batch.
What I'll probably try, is tasting a grape once a week, until they seem 
to have sufficient juice but are still tart.
I'd like to make a bunch of it, although I'm not exactly sure how to 
preserve it once it's made--put it in bottles and freeze it, maybe. 
It'd be nice to have for general recipes, but I've also got some 
mustardy uses in mind. ;o)
--maire

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> What types of grapes are these? Are they Concord grapes or a variety 
> which came from Europe?
> 
> Well, if the yield is high enough, you might try picking some at 
> different times, processing them, and seeing which batch you like 
> better. I'm not sure how consistent you can be from year to year, simply 
> because of  yearly variations but you should be able to develop an idea 
> for you, of when you think the grapes are ready to be used. Or if, as I 
> think was done, verjuice was made from the grapes culled from the vines 
> throughout the season, maybe the exact timing isn't that important.