Grape Juice

A few weeks ago my neighbor brought over some home-canned grape juice.  She and her mother had bought loads of Concord grapes and turned them into delicious juice--no sugar. 

I waited until nighttime before I opened the first can.  And then I lost my head...because when I was growing up, we always had some grape juice on hand. My grandmother canned it using the Concord grapes she grew in her yard, and she used gallon jars and always left a layer of grapes in the bottom of the jar (I think it was a decorative touch).  That smell is unlike anything else; store-bought grape juice does not resemble it at all.  

I diluted the pint of grape juice with a pint of water, per my neighbor's instructions (she cans concentrate), and then I drank it.  And drank it. I think I drank half the quart. It was winter and I was 12 years old and we had just brought the grape juice up from the basement to open it.......

Evocative. 

Thank you, Naomi!  I will be relishing these jars all winter long.