Sweet, tart and delicious, homemade grape juice is packed full of nutrients to keep your body going. Learn how to easily make juice from scratch without any special tools or equipment.

“Are you going to make wine?”.

This is the question I receive most often when I tell people my family is growing grapes.

The answer is no.

The next question I have heard more than once is, “will you be juicing the grapes with your feet?”.

Yeah, that is another definite no.

Apparently there are a lot of “stereotypes” when one grows grapes. Who knew?

This summer is the first year my family successfully harvested a large amount of concord grapes. As the grapes were growing, I enjoyed going out to pasture to check on their progress.

Have you ever been to a vineyard? I’ve always wanted to visit one. I often listen to a fella from Abiding Life Ministries International who speaks regularly of the vine and the branch. He tells a story of attending a large vineyard and seeing the life of Jesus in every part of the grapevine.

Being on my parents property and picking grapes in their mini vineyard reminds me of these verses from the Bible:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5).

Homesteading can be quite an adventure. You can plant the seed, tenderly care for the plant and still end up with an unfruitful harvest. Thinking of our struggles with the weather and trying to train the grapes to vine up the system my Dad built, I can see a visual picture of how we, God’s children, must remain in the vine or we will bear no fruit. I love how God can use nature to teach you.

How to Make Homemade Grape Juice Using Fresh Grapes

Making grape juice at home is simpler than you think. You don’t need any fancy equipment or tools. Just a good ol’ stockpot will do the trick. Simply de-stem, rinse and toss the grapes into the pot. Cook for 15 minutes, strain the grape mixture, chill and enjoy! If you prefer your juice less rich, try adding some sparkling spring water.

Benefits of Fresh Grapes

Sweet, tart and delicious, fresh picked grapes are chalked full of nutrients to help keep you well. Here are just a few ways eating grapes can benefit your body.

• Grapes are full of antioxidants
• Can reduce inflammation
• Grapes are packed full of minerals and vitamins to keep a body strong and healthy
• Can support heart health
• Helps to maintain healthy blood pressure levels
• Good source of potassium and fiber

Grape Juice Recipe

Makes: 6 cups

Ingredients

2-6 lbs fresh grapes (we used concord)
1/4-2/3 cup water

Tools

Large stock pot
Potato masher
Mesh Strainer

Instructions

Start by weighing the amount of grapes you’d like to use. (Tip: one pound of grapes yields approximately one cup of juice.)

Remove the stems from the grapes. Wash thoroughly. (I have read of ways to quickly remove the stems by using a stand mixer or submerging the grapes in a bowl of water and shaking them. But I’ve never tried either. I just picked them off one by one.)

Place the grapes into a large stockpot. Using a potato masher begin to squish the grapes so that the juice begins to release. Add a splash of water to help start the cooking process. Cook on medium low until the grapes begin to simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally and use the potato masher to crush any whole grapes that may remain.

Remove from heat and pour the grape mixture through a mesh strainer. Using a spatula, press the grapes to remove as much liquid as you can.

Pour the juice into a container and refrigerate until chilled. Enjoy your juice as is or add water to dilute. The juice can be fairly rich so we prefer to add water to ours like you would if you purchased a can of frozen grape juice concentrate from the grocery store.

Helpful Tips for Making Fresh Grape Juice

I used concord grapes for this recipe but there are a variety of other flavorful grapes you can use.

Approximately one pound of grapes equals one cup of juice. Depending on the variety of grapes you use, you may get a little more or a little less. The first time I made this grape juice recipe, I used 6 pounds of grapes and got 1.5 quarts of juice.

If you do not grow your own grapes, get some from a farmers market. Homemade grape juice is delicious and very nutritious!

The juice can be thick, almost concentrate like. We enjoy adding sparkling water to our juice. For an extra special treat, we have created a creamy grape soda using the grape juice, sparkling water, a few spoonfuls of heavy whipping cream and a tiny splash of vanilla extract.

If your homestead has chickens, don’t toss the cooked grape and seed mixture. Rather feed it to them! They will enjoy the sweet treat. Or you can also toss the remains into your compost bin.

Looking for more recipes that use fresh grapes, give my grape sorbet recipe a try.

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Yield: 6 cups

Easy Homemade Grape Juice

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Sweet, tart and delicious, homemade grape juice is packed full of nutrients to keep your body going. Learn how to easily make juice from scratch without any special tools or equipment.

Ingredients

• 2-6 lbs fresh grapes (we used concord)
• 1/4-2/3 cup water

Instructions

Start by weighing the amount of grapes you’d like to use. (Tip: one pound of grapes yields approximately one cup of juice.)

Remove the stems from the grapes. Wash thoroughly.

Place the grapes into a large stockpot. Using a potato masher begin to squish the grapes so that the juice begins to release. Add a splash of water to help start the cooking process. Cook on medium low until the grapes begin to simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally and use the potato masher to crush any whole grapes that may remain.

Remove from heat and pour the grape mixture through a mesh strainer. Using a spatula, press the grapes to remove as much liquid as you can.

Pour the juice into a container and refrigerate until chilled. Enjoy your juice as is or add water to dilute. The juice can be fairly rich so we prefer to add water to ours like you would if you purchased a can of frozen grape juice concentrate from the grocery store.