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Concord Grape Pie
We all have those tastes from our childhood that pop up in particular seasons.
For me it's the fresh picked strawberries in the spring, blueberries in the summer,
fresh clean snow in the winter and a crisp apple in the fall.
The fall also brings with it the expectation for concord grape pie.
It's a taste I actually crave each year from September to November.
I have memories of helping my mom with the tedious process. Now, as I go through it myself each year,
I cant wait for that first taste of grape pie each fall. This year, I had the help of friends.
My neighbors shared their grapes with me and a dear friend came over one night and we made enough filling for about 10 pies,
froze it and now we can enjoy it all year. Grape size affects yield, but what I've found is it takes about 1 1/2 pints of grapes for one pie. Because the process is time consuming, I generally make 4-6 pies at a time. And you'll be happy to know that both the pies and the filling freeze well.
Filling
- Grapes
- Sugar
- Corn starch
Clean and drain the grapes. Separate the skin and pulp. Keep both. This is easy. Just squeeze the grapes, and the pulp will come out. I squeeze the pulp right into a medium soup pot. (You want lots of surface for heating.) Give the skin a bit of a pinch to get all the juice. Put the skin in a separate bowl. (Be careful, this can stain, actually the whole process can.). Once you have the pulps and skins separated, heat the pulps so they reduce. This will create a juice and separate the pulp from the seeds. Don't heat it too quickly, you don't want to burn the mix, but do heat it thoroughly (25-40 minutes). Stir frequently. When the pulps have reduced to a liquid, strain out the seeds, keeping all the liquid. I use a fine metal strainer. Now mix the skins back in with your liquid. You'll start to get a bright purple mix. Heat again, add sugar. I start with about a half a cup and mix to taste. This depends on the sweetness of the grapes and personal preference. The filling should be a bit sweet/tart. Once the mixture boils, add 1/4 cup (per pie) of corn starch. Bring back to boil and remove from heat. Fill piecrusts or fill freezer bags. I use a top crust for the pies. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Bake and cool pies before freezing. Let cool. Of course every pie is better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This recipe comes from my late grandmother, Helyn Geis.
Copyright © 2008-2015 Diane Wiater, Ph.D.
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