Rustic Grape Butter

A while ago, we bought a kilogram of green grapes, reduced to half-price because of the sell-by date. And then we put them in the fridge and left them to go mouldy, like the good fruit-eaters we are. They were taking up so much space that eventually I agreed that something needed to be done with them (at least the non-mouldy ones), Googled "what to do with grapes" and found this page with a recipe for, amongst other things, grape butter. Which sounded amazing.

I had some of the butter this morning, with real butter on brown bread, and it was really good. Healthy. Fruity and not too sweet - I added much less sugar than called for in the original recipe. It's got texture to it, so it might not be so appleaing to young children, but I'm imagining it adorning all kinds of dishes. Especially savoury ones that call for a hint of fruit. Mmmm.

Tom kept the water than the grapes and apple were boiled in as a drink, but it could be discarded, or used in other ways as you see fit.

Rustic Grape Butter

(Printable Recipe)

Fills 1 jar

500g seedless grapes

1 apple

1.5 tablespoons brown sugar

Water

Pick the grapes off the stem, wash them, and dump them in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, after which they should be swollen with water and falling apart.

Chop the apple into small chunks.

Drain the grapes, return them to the pan, and add the apple. Cover with fresh water and bring to a boil, then simmer for a further ten to fifteen minutes until all the fruit is soft and mushy.

Drain the grapes and apple, return to the pan, and mash thoroughly.

Add the sugar and turn the heat up to high. Stirring regularly, cook the butter until it is of the required consistency. Leave to cool and jar.

Serve imaginatively... or on bread.