Do you know how to store grapes? Grapes with any variants are well-known as healthy fruit containing vitamin A, C, B6, calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, and many more. (1)
However, they are fickle fruits. They easily get rotten or even moldy if you don’t know the proper ways to store them.
So, how do you often deal with grapes? Buy any random cluster of grapes, rinse them with water, then put the whole of them in the refrigerator without a container? It is the worst method! In this post, I will show you some better ways and tips for storing grapes that can help them last longer.
What Is The Best Way To Store Grapes?
There are tons of ways for you to store fresh grapes, but I am here to tell you my secret tips to store these tasty foods whose names begin with “G”. With these tricks, you’ll be able to store grapes in the best conditions for long-term usage.
Step 1: Learn about features of grapes to buy nice grapes
- The usual color and scent of grapes
- Select the best stem of grapes
Step 2: Prepare the grapes before storing
Step 3: Store grapes
- Method 1: Store grapes in the refrigerator
- Method 2: Store grapes without a refrigerator
- Method 3: Store grapes in the freezer
Features Of Grapes
First of all, I will help you learn some information about grapes and know what good grapes look like so that you can pick the best grapes from the supermarket!
Grapes Are Colorful
Grapes appear in many different colors and shapes, mainly based on the climatic conditions and soil type of the areas they grow. They could be green, red, yellow, white, pink, black, purple, dark blue, crimson, etc.
However, grapes are usually classified into 2 basic shades, which are dark-colored (red grapes) and light-colored varieties (green grapes). What distinguishes red grapes from green grapes is partly a result of plant pigments that the farmers use in the process of planting their grapes.
Red grapes are world-famous for being the most important ingredient in making wine. Also, they are used to make jams, jelly, fruit juice, etc., since their extract will give out the most beautiful and attractive color to the dishes that can make them look tastier.
How Do Good Grapes Taste?
Red grapes tend to be sweeter than green grapes. They are also juicy and have a softer texture than green ones. Red grapes contain more antioxidants than green varieties; therefore, they are super healthy for your hair, skin, and body’s immune system.
Green grapes’ taste is a mixture of sweet and sour flavors at the same time. With some specific varieties, they even contain bitterness inside. Green varieties are usually crispier than red ones. They are not as nutritious as red grapes, but they are delicious and healthy, too.
How To Select The Best Cluster Of Grapes?
Grapes are ideally collected from a farm or vineyard right after harvest. But who has time for that, right? I normally buy grapes from a convenience store near my house. I believe that most of you may purchase them from some supermarkets, local markets, or any store on your way home.
Grapes are not rare to buy – they are literally everywhere. However, I still suggest that you should consider buying grapes at farmers markets for the best quality of grapes.
To keep grapes fresh for as long as you wish, the first thing to do is buying good grapes. No matter how hard I try, I can’t help you with any tips if you started with a terrible bunch of grapes. But the thing is, how can you choose the tastiest bunch of grapes among billions of them? I am here to the Rescue!
Tip No.1: Look For The Grapes Even In Color In The Same Bunch
With the dark-colored varieties of grapes, opt for the dark shade of red or purple. Their colors usually range from light red to dark purple or even black. Fresh green grapes are often yellow-green or yellow-gold in color. If there are some green or brown tinges on them, choose another one!
Tip No.2: Search For The Grapes Firmly Attached To Their Stem
Healthy grapes are firmly connected to their stem. If you find a cluster of grapes that has the sign of losing many grapes, you should pass it. If they are kept in a container, which is usually a nylon bag, you should look at the bottom of the bag to observe the loose grapes.
This type of grape stem is about to ripen really quick and get rotten easily as soon as you buy them home. Be careful of the clusters of grapes that have a bunch of loose grapes! A good grape bunch is tightly packed together and rarely loses grapes.
Tip No.3: Check For The Scent Of Grapes
Grapes themselves ferment quickly. If they smell sour or something like vinegar smell, they are definitely getting fermented and soon will become spoiled and moldy. Therefore, you should pick up and smell clusters of grapes before deciding to bring them home.
Tip No.4: Avoid Moldy Grapes
Moldy grapes with a soft feel in the touch could be the visible sign of rotten grapes. Their skin should be smooth and intact without many torn spots. If there are more than 5 grapes having white patches of mold and about to fall off the stem, then it is not the ideal one.
Find more tips from experts to search for good grapes.
And those are my experiences in choosing the most qualified and healthy bunch of grapes! What do you think? If you have more interesting and helpful tips in selecting grapes, please tell me about them in the comment section below this post!
How To Prepare The Grapes Before Storing?
After purchasing the best bunch of grapes, this is the time to prepare properly before storing them. Grapes should stay in the bag they came in, which is the original packaging from the store. These kinds of packages are well-designed with many holes to prevent humidity from the trapped grapes.
But if you buy grapes from a local market and they don’t have that kind of packaging? Don’t worry! You can put them in a well-ventilated bag or container with some spaces for the grapes to breathe. You should not shove them into the freezer without any protection.
Some people always wash the grapes with water right before putting them in the refrigerator. The water and moisture are the enemies of grapes. They put negative effects on the skins of the grapes, promoting bacteria that can easily lead to decay after a few days.
Therefore, you should not wash the grapes before storing them and better keep them unwashed inside the original package that you get from the supermarket. Only wash the grapes when you are ready to eat or serve them.
The Most Proper Methods On How To Store Your Grapes!
Alright, so here comes the highlight of this post! What are the best ways for you to store grapes?
Store Grapes In The Refrigerator
With unwashed grapes: After preparing the bag or container with unwashed grapes inside, all you have left to do is to put them in the refrigerator.
With washed grapes: If you accidentally washed the grapes before reading this post, don’t worry! A useful tip for washed grapes is to make them dry by wrapping them with paper towels for 5-10 minutes. Then, put them back in the ventilated bags, and you’re ready to go!
Grapes will do their best at 30 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (oF) or -1 to 0 degrees Celsius (oC) with high humidity, about 90 to 95 percent (%). This could be the temperature of the crisper drawer containing fruits and vegetables in almost every refrigerator nowadays. (2)
The grapes should always be kept cold because they can hardly bear high temperatures. Even when they are in a normal environment, they can get moldy in just a few hours! So if you want to eat grapes, only take out enough of them and continue to keep the rest inside the fridge.
Put the grapes aways from food that contain strong odors such as garlic, which should be stored in an airtight jar for keeping garlic. Grapes can absorb the smell from the food around them. So if you don’t keep them alone, maybe you will end up eating grapes with garlic odor.
Store Grapes Without Refrigerator
Store At Room Temperature: Grapes decay really fast, so storing them without a fridge or freezer is not advisable. If you want to eat grapes the same day, keep them at room temperature and uncovered in a dish or container. When you’re ready to eat, carefully wash them and enjoy!
Store With Ice: You can make a mini freezer by putting ice in an airtight box or container. It may help to keep the grapes fresh for a few days.
However, I think it is best to enjoy the grapes right away after purchasing them but don’t have a fridge to store them. Aside from eating the grapes fresh, there are quite a few lip-smacking treats made from grapes you can consider. Some of them might even extend grape’s shelf life.
Not fond of sweet treats? How about making some grape juice to revitalize yourself? You can even make new drinks from grape juice with apple cider vinegar. Who knows, they might be your next favorite drink to enjoy when the weather gets unbearably hot.
Store Grapes In The Freezer
Freezing grapes is one of the best ways to store grapes. Grapes are preserved longer (for months) when they are frozen. Unlike when you put grapes in the fridge, you should put them in an airtight zip-lock or plastic bag without any ventilated holes like packaging from the market.
However, frozen grapes lose flavor quickly, so I suggest using them as decorated iced cubes or making delicious smoothies. Or, juice them and mix grape juice with vodka for boozy beverages. This way, a slight flavor loss in grapes will not matter much thanks to vodka’s added flavor.
Here’s the table for peering the amount of time before fermentation of the 3 different methods above for storing grapes.
What Can You Do With Stored Grapes?
In fact, you can do or cook a lot of things with grapes, both red and green varieties of them. You can make them a component of salads, sandwiches, smoothies, or so much more. If you like to make wine from grapes by yourself, it’s no problem! Drinking red wine is good for your heart. (3)
Want to know my recipe for making wine from grapes? Sure, why not!
Make Your Own Grape Wine At Home
Equipment:
- A 4-gallon plastic bucket with a lid
- 3 1-gallon glass jars
- A funnel that fits into the glass bottle mouths
- 3 airlocks
- A rubber cork
- 6 feet half-inch clear plastic tubing
- 20 wine bottles (5 bottles per gallon)
- Pre-sanitized corks (size 9)
- Hand gloves
Ingredients:
- Lots of grapes
- Sugar
- Filter water
- Wine yeast
Step 1:
- Sterilize and rinse your equipment. It’s important to clean your equipment at the beginning.
- Sort your grapes, eliminate bad or odd-looking ones.
- Rinse your grapes carefully with water.
- Cut the stems.
- Pour the must from the crushed grapes into the main fermentation container. You should use both of your hands for the best result.
- Add wine yeast, then add sugar water. Remember to dissolve sugar in filtered water first. Stir the must well.
- For a week or 10 days, cover the main fermentation bucket with a cloth.
Step 2:
- Strain the liquid carefully.
- Pour the juice into the second glass jar. Airlock the containers.
- Ferment the juice for 2 to 3 weeks.
- Siphon the liquid into the clean glass jar in order to keep the wine away from the sediment that develops during fermentation.
- Repeat the process again and again for around 2 months until the wine runs clean.
Step 3:
- Pour the wine into the bottles, allowing some room to put the cork in.
- Add corks to the wine.
- Store the wine for the first few days at 55°F. Red wine may require one year, while white wine may be ready in 6 months.
And finally, cheers!
Find a more professional way of making wine at home with genuine equipment here!
Some Other Dishes You Can Make From Grapes
Besides wine, you can also make many other things from the extract of grapes. This can be applied to near-moldy grapes.
- Grape Juice: Don’t mind your kids choking on the whole grapes because they can absorb all the nutrients from grapes in the form of liquid. Try to make juice or smoothies from grapes!
- Grape Jam: When used to put on sandwiches, grape jam is extremely tasty. As a delicious snack, some people prefer to combine grape jam with unsalted butter. Simply remove the skins of your grapes and mash them to create the jam.
See how they make simple grape jam at home!
- Grape Jelly: Homemade grape jelly tastes wonderful. A jar of grape jelly would be a lovely gift for your beloved ones.
Find the best recipe for grape jelly here.
- Dried Grapes: Grapes can be turned into raisins or sultanas. They make excellent munchies.
How To Wash Grapes Properly?
As I always mention, the grapes are advisable to be kept unwashed in the refrigerator so they can last longer. Only when you want to serve them, take them out with enough amount and wash them as following instructions:
- Rinse the grapes in water and white vinegar/salt – 1 part vinegar/salt to 3 parts water works well.
- Leave them to sit in the liquid for no more than a minute.
- Rub the grapes as lightly as possible with your fingers.
- Rinse them well with tap water.
- Place on a piece of paper towel and let them dry completely.
Or you can just simply rinse them with water. Washed grapes are better eaten as soon as possible because they will quickly be rotten with moisture from water.
FAQs
I have shared with you my experiences with grapes and how to store them properly. However, I somehow think that you may not really be satisfied with the above information. Therefore, I list out some questions with answers that I believe can be useful for you.
So, What Will You Do With Grapes Now?
As a result, if you are well-prepared for the grapes by following what I have told you, they can properly last for a few days or weeks before fermentation starts.
However, I still recommend you to use them as soon as possible to enjoy the best taste of fresh grapes. No matter how hard you try, some bunches of grapes will still get moldy very early, even before you can taste them.
Try these new ways of storing grapes and share with me your experience on this by commenting in the chatbox below. How about making some red wine to enjoy in these tiring social distancing days? I’d love to see your products!
References
- Medicalnewstoday.com. 2017. Grapes: Health benefits, tips, and risks.
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 2015. Storage of Fresh Produce.
- Mayoclinic.org. 2019. Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?
