Uses for unripe grapes

I brought back several bunches of sour, fresh grapes from a Persian store in L.A. How can I use them? Can I make verjus without a juicer (I have a food processor)?

creamtea
  • 13531 views
  • 8 Comments

8 Comments

Droplet June 21, 2013
You don't want to put grapes in a juicer. The seeds are very hard and can easily jam it when they reach the sieve section. They are also bitter, and the skins are quite tannic when unripe. The ideal way to go, and the closest to the original wine press, would be a food mill.
 
katiaD June 21, 2013
If they are seedless I would preserve them :)
What better than this?specially for unripe grapes.
 
SeaJambon June 21, 2013
I had never heard of preserving (pickling) grapes, but just googled and now have a project for the weekend! Totally psyched! Thanks KatiaD!
 
katiaD June 22, 2013
Your most welcome :)) It's very common technique in my country (Greece) Try to find greek homemade versions.they don't use any preservatives and can extend the shelf life up to a year
 
HalfPint June 21, 2013
Sorry that should be "you really don't need a juicer".

And I wanted to also suggest making jelly with the grapes. I find that tart fruit makes a superior jam/jelly/preserve. The sourness gives the product a nice complexity, tempering the sweetness of sugar.
 
HalfPint June 21, 2013
The verjus sounds great and you really need a juicer. I would pulverize in the food processor and then squeeze out the juice into a sieve or through cheesecloth. It's a bit more work, but it's not hard. You can also try juicing through a food mill, if you have one of those.
 
HalfPint June 21, 2013
The verjus sounds great and you really need a juicer. I would pulverize in the food processor and then squeeze out the juice into a sieve or through cheesecloth. It's a bit more work, but it's not hard. You can also try juicing through a food mill, if you have one of those.
 
savorthis June 21, 2013
My juicer recently stopped spitting out the juice for some reason and I put the soupy glop in a chinois and worked it to death with a curved rounded scraper....worked fine, though way less easy.
 
Recommended by Food52