European explorers wrote of the bounty and good taste of New England grapes. There is reason to believe, however, that they weren’t so much prized for making wine, as for making verjuice, a type of sour juice used in cooking (much like lemon juice is used today).
Stomping grapes is period authentic, and half the fun is conquoring your guests’ foot-germ phobias. We use an eco-friendly disinfectant, anti-bacterial, and fungicide (all in one) to wash the stomper’s feet first. Using one’s hands to eat without washing is more dangerous than drinking the juice stomped by feet washed in this stuff!
Complete instructions for making verjuice, and for stomping grapes are found in our historical Thanksgiving guide.
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Stomping grapes, fall 2008
Stomping grapes for the first time, fall 2007. The heater was because I forgot to take the grapes out of the refrigerator the night before stomping. Ouch!
Tags: activities for kids thanksgiving, activities for thanksgiving, family thanksgiving ideas, Ideas Thanksgiving, thanksgiving for family, things to do for thanksgiving
Posted September 3, 2009 by Admin under Activities
