Podcast: Reliance Grape Jelly with Nutmeg- Episode # 23

Sweet Harvest Homestead

Hello and welcome to the sweet harvest homestead podcast, old fashioned homemaking for the modern woman.

This podcast is brought to you in part by the naked pig, pasture raised pork and grass fed beef. For more information visit their website at the naked pig.com

With the cooler mornings that we have experienced the past few days and the gentle pulling away of summer, my mind starts thinking ahead to filling our larder full of the last of the summer garden fruits. We are fortunate to have a grape growing friend who generously shares his bounty with us. One of my favorite things to can or *put up* is jelly, made with the rosy pink, reliance grape. I thought all grape jelly was purple until I discovered this little gem last year.

The taste of a reliance grape isn’t quite as strong as a concord grape; it has a milder flavor. While making jelly with reliance grapes this week, I added 1 Tablespoon of freshly ground nutmeg to the mix. I was pleasantly surprised at the difference it made in the flavor of the jelly. It will make a fine accompaniment to fresh biscuits and a hot cup of coffee later on in the fall.

We had some extra left over in the pot, so I used it to make up my version of a Monte Cristo sandwich. I took two slices of sourdough bread and spread each of them with the Pink Grape/Nutmeg jelly. Then I added pieces of thinly sliced brie cheese. I topped that off with some honey ham and toasted it in the oven for 5 minutes, just until the brie melted and the bread was lightly crisp. Heavenly day was it good! The sweet and savory combination was an explosion of flavor on my taste buds and the hint of nutmeg paired so well with the brie. We have made those sandwiches for supper for the past three nights. When you’ve made up something as tasty as that – it’s hard to stop at just one.

We will have plenty of jars of Pink Grape/ Nutmeg Jelly at our grand opening of the Tiny Boutique at Sweet Harvest Homestead on Friday, September 9th from 10- noon. Can’t wait to see all of your beautiful faces once again!

I also wanted to let you know that the tiny boutique will be a pickup location for the naked pig meats. If you order your meat from the online store or call them up to place your order, Jenny will bring them here to Stanfield and you can pick them up here if it is a more convenient location for you.

That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week.