Domestic Uses For Grapes

At present, when food conservation is being emphasized everywhere,

mention of the domestic use for grapes is particularly appropriate.

The country over, no fruit is more generally grown than the grape; yet

grape products are not as common for home use as those of several

other fruits, although many attractive and appetizing preserves can be

made from grapes without the use of large quantities of sugar, spices

or other ngredients. Few housekeepers realize the high quality and

the cheapness of the products that can be made from the grape. Thus,

grape-juice, jelly, jam, marmalade, grape-butter, catsup, spiced

grapes, canned grapes, conserves in which grapes are used, preserves

and mince-meat are among the desirable culinary products easily and

cheaply prepared from home-grown grapes or those bought in the market.

Only simple domestic utensils are needed in the preparation of any of

these products.



Grape-sirup is less easily produced, yet can be made in any home

without the addition of sugar. It is not only a good table sirup, but

is a most useful sugar substitute for the preparation of other

culinary products. The Muscadine grapes in the South, to be purchased

by almost every householder in southeastern United States, in

particular, are useful for these domestic products. Recipes for all of

these products can be found in cook books, and one or two bulletins

and circulars from the United States Department of Agriculture give

recipes for preparing grapes for domestic purposes. Farmers' Bulletin

859 entitled Home Uses for Muscadine Grapes is a particularly

valuable publication on this subject.



It is interesting to note that several large manufacturers of

grape-juice are putting on the market grape jams, jellies and

marmalades. It would seem that these delicious and wholesome products

would find a ready sale in the markets of the country, and that their

manufacture would prove profitable to the maker and to the

grape-grower. The greater the use of grapes for their products, the

better the grower can breast the blows of unfavorable markets and

over-production.