A Labor of Love For Madison

Sunday I made grape juice for Madison.  I have a huge grape arbor that host both concord and seedless green grapes.  The mixture of grapes is heavenly for juice and jelly, but since I work full time and have to keep a house and yard up, I just don't have the time to cook it up and put it in pretty little ribboned jars.  Martha Stewart I'm not!  Besides, she has a staff of hundreds (if not thousands) to help her get all of her cutsey suggestions and tips done.  Not to mention the help she has with her house and yard work.  Right?  But we all know that regardless of her busy schedule, Martha would find the time somehow.

I have picked and given away baskets upon baskets of grapes this year, but the arbor is still laden heavily with loads more.  The folks that were the recipients of the grapes were thrilled to have them.  They were making jelly and juice after work for themselves and their,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, grandchildren! 

 That was the wrong thing for me to hear because I have a granddaughter now too, and   she'd probably love some grape juice, I thought guiltily. How selfish am I?  What kind of grandma would turn down making juice for her little granddaughter?  A bad Grandma, that's who! 

In the last week the weather has changed from near 80 degree days to freezing literally overnight.  Our first light frost was last Thursday evening and we have had one in every night since.  But I was on a mission and therefore would not be thwarted!  So, Sunday  morning found me hiking out to my grape arbor in near freezing temperatures where I picked a  basket full of mostly concord grapes (as the green seedless are nearly gone now).  I trucked them into the house where I cleaned and washed each grape with love.  To make a long and boring story short, that basket of grapes made more than 2 gallons of wonderful, sweet juice for Maddie!  Hey, Welch's doesn't have anything on me!  What a good grandmother!

Perhaps I'll make more juice if the grapes are patient and continue to hold onto the vines, but then again I am going to be pretty busy this week.  If I can just find the time......................