Muscadines

I noticed a few months ago that Muscadine vines were growing along a friend's fence line. I steadily watched the vines produce fruit and ripen. I inquired what was going to be done with the grapes, and I was given this reply..."you can have all of them, the only thing is....if you make jelly then I want some." Sounds like a mighty fair deal to me. So I was more than happy to agree to this bargain.

As it would happen, yesterday morning I was went by my friends house to help with something and was able to pick a fair amount of grapes while there, but due to the blazing hot sun and heat I decided to wait until later in the day and come back when things had cooled off some. So a friend and I worked together & gleaned a bountiful harvest. There is still more to be had but we walked away last night with a large bucket (the kind you would use to wash your car with) and a half full of Muscadine grapes. I haven't weighed them out yet, but after I got home and washed them up, I had an entire island counter top full of grapes. So in a day or two you can bet I'll be canning up a storm!

You know, a week ago my Pastor's wife casually asked me if I had been canning much lately as she knows how much I love it. "Not as much as I want to," was my reply. Since our garden was not able to go in this year & I haven't had time to visit the local fruit/vegetable farm, I have not been able to can like I normally would. We have been enjoying though the tomatoes and herbs that our container plants have been producing, so we haven't been totally void of good eats.

I had prayed and asked the LORD to guide & lead me in ways to stretch our finances, meet all our needs and help me be a better steward and home keeper. Well, lo and behold, here I am blessed with all these grapes. Not only am I going to be able to have fun in the kitchen canning them up, the LORD is using them to increase our pantry. How cool is that!?! You may say that it's not a GOD thing since I knew my friend had the grape vines, but come on....only the LORD would open the door for me to be able to have all that I want of them and then some...with the only cost being that of sharing in what I make of them. That is totally GOD!

**Update: I weighed them out this afternoon and we have 36 pounds of grapes. That's a blessing by the pound-full!