Grape Juice

The grape vines are bubbly with grapes.  There are so many that they look like purple suds.  Soooo...grape juice, grape jelly, grape pie and if I can find a recipe, grape wine.  Here's my easy grape juice recipe.  I made 48 jars and we will sure enjoy them with popcorn this winter.

Really Easy, Great Grape Juice

Wash and stem as many grapes as you want.  Dump two cups of grapes in each quart jar and add 1 cup of sugar.  Pour boiling water over all of it and cap it.  Then process it in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  Let it sit about a month before you drink it.  We strain off the grapes and then add a jar of water to the juice.  Perfect grape heaven!

The grape jelly is easy, too.  This is called Gaye's Grape Sunshine

Wash and stem a quart of grapes.  Smash them up well to get a good measure.  Add  a quart of sugar.  Simmer on top of the stove for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and run through a sieve.  Pour into jelly jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.  This recipe can be doubled, but don't triple it.
It sets up into a beautiful soft jam.

Blackberry Cobbler

It's blackberry time and my favorite way to eat these shiny beauties is in a cobbler.  This is a recipe for the easiest, most sinful cobbler you'll ever eat.  It has a whole stick of butter in it, but that makes it good.  We especially like it warm, with ice cream or milk.  I would have included a picture of it, but we ate it all before I thought about posting this recipe.  Oh well, guess you'll have to make it yourself!

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
milk
1 pint (more or less) of blackberries sugared to draw the juice (or frozen from last summer)

Preheat your oven 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a 12x12x2 baking pan.  In bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and enough milk to make a thin batter.  Pour mixture over butter.  Do not stir. Pour berries, juice and all over this and again, DO NOT STIR.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Enjoy.

Squished Squash

This one is an old family favorite.  I call it "Squished Squash."  It's sort of salty and smoky flavored.

First fry three slices of bacon in your black, cast-iron skillet.

When the bacon is done, take it out and crumble it up.  Leave the bacon grease in the pan and add some chopped up squash and onions. The picture shows the size of the chunks. Fill the pan as this will cook down.

Cook this on medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes, until it starts to brown.  The caramalization of the squash and onions is what makes this recipe so tasty.  Then toss in your bacon pieces and add about a half a cup of water.  Cover and simmer until it looks like this.

At this point, you can uncover and stir and cook until it is as squished up as you like.  My family loves squash cooked this way and I hope you will, too.