Making Grape Juice

Our family orchard trip ended with five bags of apples and one of grapes.  We were delighted with our pickings and the experience. 

But, after two days of eating grapes with every meal, we were tired of them. 

Not having time or motivation to make jelly, I decided we'd just squish the remaining concord grapes and drink the juice. 

We all tried our hands at smashing the grapes, working to extract the most liquid.  Grinding and smashing continuously tired our hands.  Then when all the grapes were crushed beyond recognition, we strained them through a cheese cloth.  Excitedly, we watched the juice slowly drip through the cloth.  Pouring fresh, dark grape juice into glasses, I anticipated amazing reactions from the children. 

I was not disappointed.

When the children tried the fresh squeezed juice, they said,

"Oh, this is fabulous!" 

"Yeah, it tastes just like the juice in the fridge." 

"Exactly like it!"

Seriously?  All that work and mess, and this is the reaction...I sighed.  Alas, through this experience they have learned how to grind and strain grapes, observed the amount of liquid you could get from a bunch of grapes, and fostered a connection between harvesting and consuming food.