How to store, prep, and cook Grapes

DID YOU KNOW?

Grapes are juicy, sweet berries that come in different colours and forms. They are also a good source of fiber, potassium, and a range of vitamins and other minerals.

HOW TO…STORE:

Fresh grapes can keep well for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. To prevent any waste, you can freeze grapes for future recipes and snacks.

HOW TO…PREP:

Before consuming or using in a recipe, wash the grapes under cold running water. After washing, drain the grapes in a colander or use a clean tea towel to gently pat them dry. If you are not using the whole bunch in one time, use scissors to separate small clusters of grapes from the stem instead of removing individual grapes. This will help keep the remaining grapes fresher by preventing the stem from drying out.

Some recipes call for peeled grapes, which is done by blanching the grapes to boiling water for a couple of minutes before peeling. Both skin and seeds are fully edible and contain many of the fruit's vital nutrients so keep it all to preserve the taste, the texture and to prevent useless waste.

HOW TO…COOK:

Grapes are delicious raw and cooked, and can be used in both sweet and savoury

recipes.

JAM

This is a great way to preserve grapes a little longer and delicious to have on toast or with cheese. In a saucepan, add the grapes with honey (or sugar) and lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 1 hour, let cool a little and use a food processor to blend until smooth. The jam can be stored in a sterilised jar for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge.

STIR-FRY

A wonderful addition to your usual stir fry noodle or rice. Hot grapes will get sweeter and very juicy. Add them into the hot pan as you would cherry tomatoes; pretty much at the end of cooking as they only need a few minutes.

ROAST

Roasted grapes can be used as condiment, ice cream topping, cheese board addition or sprinkle in salad. Toss grapes with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper, and roast them for 20 minutes at 200C. The grapes will get caramelised on the outside, and extra juicy on the inside.

BAKE

Bake grapes on their own or in your sweet and savoury baking recipes. Place grapes in an oven dish, sprinkle with dried herbs, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast for 5 to 10 minutes at 200C. You can also add them to your usual cake or bread recipes for an extra sweetness and juicy texture.

PICKLE

Pickled grapes are great with cheese or in salad. Wash and remove the grapes from the stem. Add them into a glass jar and pour over a hot syrup made from water, apple cider vinegar, honey (or sugar) and balck peppercorns. Let cool, close the jar and store in the fridge. Wait 24h before serving.

JUICE

Grapes can also be made into a drink. Blend the grapes with water, strain the juice, add a little lemon juice and serve fresh.

JELLY Use the grape juice to make jelly. Warm the juice with sugar until dissolved. Add lemon and gelatine, mix well to dissolve and pour into a tray in the fridge to set. You can use vegetable gelatine powder to keep it vegetarian.