Kitchen Garden Forum

We've decided it's going to be too much hassle to make wine from our Reisling grapes again this year. We have about 14 lbs ready for picking so I'm wondering whether anybody has a decent recipe either for making grape juice or oven drying them and turning them into dried fruit.
The only problem with drying them is dealing with the pips so any useful tips would be appreciated. One year I left them for the birds because I was about to be hospitalised and it really bugged me seeing them go to waste so I don't want this to happen this year. (Over the past fortnight they have really sweetened up with the late sunshine we've been having).

Must admit the title of this made me wonder!!

Whoopsie. Should of course have read DRIED fruit, although fried fruit would certainly be a novelty. Need to come up with a creative solution soon as I've got nowhere to store them once picked. All the trays I normally use are currently occupied with green tomatoes. Oh the joys of having a food mountain - I'm thinking of going into competition with the EEC.

Hi Primrose,

Last year we had loads of grapes - far more than we could eat. I dried some in the sun, but when it began to get cooler, finished them off in the oven on very low. I've been eating a few raisins with my breakfast ever since. And the pips are good for you, you should eat them. I don't think leaving the pips in has spoiled them at all.

Thanks for that. They're still on the vine at the moment because I've been procrastinating over what to do with them. I think I'll try drying in the oven method although I'll probably have to do it in several batches. Can you remember how long it took, and the actual temperature you dried them at? I've checked a few websites but they're not very helpful on this aspect, just saying a "low" oven.