Seedy Grapes

[mjg]

Yesterday at the farmers market I picked up a couple bunches of grapes. They are very seedy. Being new to eating fruit (I spent the first 26 or so years of my life eating nothing but meat and carbs), perhaps this is just something that normal people who eat fruit learn to deal with.

Is there any way to deseed grapes for eating? Or am I best to figure out some way to press them for the juice and use that as I see fit?

And finally, apart from scrubbing off the feet and stomping the grapes, how can I best extract the juice? Food processor and then through a strainer? Blender? I don't have a juicer.

[Kevin72]

Yes, zapping them in a food processor should work relatively well in place of a blender. Though with seeds in there you may end up with a trace bitter flavor if they get ground up in the process, and I'd pass them through a strainer a few times to make absolutely sure you get the seed particles out.

[Toliver]

Is there any way to deseed grapes for eating? Or am I best to figure out some way to press them for the juice and use that as I see fit?

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Buy seedless grapes.

But seriously folks...

In case you aren't aware, given your food background, green grapes are seedless and red grapes will have seeds in them (though, to confuse you even more, there are some varieties of red grapes that won't have seeds...ask your local grocer).

edited to try to be a softer, gentler grouse

Edited September 14, 2004 by Toliver (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

Eat outside. Spit the seeds wherever. Cultivate any that sprout.

Repeat.

[Rachel Perlow]

If they are the nice big round red grapes, I cut them in half horizontally across the equator with a paring knife (not straight through, just about 1/3 of the way in all around the edge, then split in half), then pick out the seeds with the tip of the knife. Slows down the eating of them as well, which is good since grapes are such sugar bombs. I used to love green seedless grapes, but they really have very little flavor.

[bloviatrix]

Beware of pureeing grapes in the food processor. I've done it twice in the last week (making sorbet) and the juice flies out of the bowl and leaks everywhere. Your best bet is a blend, if available.

Following Claudia Flemming's instructions, I puree and add some lemon juice to maintain color (ascorbic acid/vitamin c will do as well). After a minimum of 30 minutes I repuree - this time using an immersion blender for 2 minutes straight and strain through a very fine strainer. This is time consuming and your hand will start to ache.

Pureed green grapes, even with lemon juice added turn an ugly color -- just keep that in mind.

[Jujubee]

Just pull them in half with your fingers (I sort of start at the stem end and just pull apart - it's pretty easy), and then flick out the seeds with your fingers. It goes pretty quickly once you get the hang of it. Or you can chew and spit, but I prefer to pre-seed.

[carswell]

Run the grapes through a food mill fitted with the disk with the smallest holes. This purées the grapes but leaves the seeds and peels behind.

[Tracy K.]

"Buy seedless grapes.

But seriously folks...

In case you aren't aware, given your food background, green grapes are seedless and red grapes will have seeds in them (though, to confuse you even more, there are some varieties of red grapes that won't have seeds...ask your local grocer)."

Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is a delicious variety of seeded, green table grapes called Niagara. I get them in the fall at our farmer's market. The aroma is so incredible, you can smell it 10 feet away; and the taste is just as heady. As for the seeds, they conveniently separate themselves from the grape "meat" itself while in my mouth.

Eating grape puree would probably make me barf. To get a clear grape juice, you need to cook the grapes with a small amount of water, then pour them into a double-layer of cheesecloth suspended over a bowl or pan. Let them drip all day or overnight. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth or the juice won't be clear.

[carswell]

White muscat grapes are green (despite the name) and seeded, though a seedless variety is sometimes grown. Chasselas, a popular green/white table grape in France and Switzerland, is seeded, too. Both grapes are also used to make wine.

Edited September 15, 2004 by carswell (log)

[Toliver]

White muscat grapes are green (despite the name) and seeded, though a seedless variety is sometimes grown. Chasselas, a popular green/white table grape in France and Switzerland, is seeded, too. Both grapes are also used to make wine.

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I guess I either need to get around more or find a better produce section/grocery store. The only green grapes I encounter are always seedless. I am deprived (or should that be depraved? )

[jackal10]

I'm making grape jelly over on my foodblog...

Heat the grapes in a pan I've added apples for the pectin...