Boys, Boats, and Planes: Grape Conserve

We are so lucky to have friends.  For a lot of reasons.  One of the reasons is because friends sometimes come with perks like extra passes to the Midway Museum.  A couple of weeks ago we met the L&Os at the giant ship for a day of fun for the boys.

The USS Midway was an aircraft carrier from 1945 until 1992.  Now it serves as a museum, docked in the San Diego harbor.

Being on the ship is a fascinating experience.  We got to see the living quarters of the naval officers and crewmen, the radio room, and the training rooms.  But for the boys, the highlight was the airplanes.

The boys love airplanes.  I realized that this is the second "airplane museum" they've explored together.  And it's fun to watch the two of them together.  After the Midway, Thatkid professed that Little LO was his best friend.  They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Do you have a favorite jelly for your peanut butter and jelly?  I tend to like red jams - strawberry and raspberry.  Thatboy prefers grape.  I have some issues with grape jelly because to me, it doesn't really taste like grape.  Just sweet.  Since I've become so adept at jam making, I decided to try making grape jam myself.  I like this so much better than the commercial stuff.  It still tastes more "sweet" than "grape" to me, but I love the addition of walnuts!

Grape Conserve (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

2 1/2 lbs Concord grapes

1/4 orange in thin slivers

sugar

1/4 cup walnut pieces

1.  Wash the grapes, remove the stems, and separate the pulp from the skins (reserving the skins).
2. Heat the pulp gently to free the seeds, stirring to prevent sticking.
3. Put through a sieve and discard the seeds.
4. Add the orange to the grape pulp and skins and measure.
5.  Add an equal amount of sugar to the grape mixture and cook slowly in a large, flat skillet until the conserve is thick.
6. Add the walnuts, spoon into hot sterilized jars and seal.