Jelly Jewels

Fortunately, right on the heels of learning there would be no wild rice to harvest this year we received a windfall in the form of free grapes to ease our disappointment and give us an up North project.

The free grapes were not just any grapes. 

They were beautiful, blemish-free, perfectly ripe Concord grapes that made wonderful juice and jelly.

The jars full of the sugary, violet concoction glisten in the sun like gems. So pretty.

And the flavor is not to be beat. Jelly on  toast is the best.

But the PBJ is a close second. Hadn't had one in years. Now we are eating them everyday.

And here, according to the Concord Grape Association is the story of how the famous partnership of PB and J was formed:

Three products came together in World War II to create the lunch classic, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  

Welch’s invented Grapelade in 1918.

  

The next major product improvement was bagged, pre-sliced bread, created in 1928.   

The last product came from the need to get U.S. soldiers more protein during World War II.  Inexpensive but nutritious, peanuts were ground into a smooth, buttery consistency, canned, and put into soldier’s rations.  

Somewhere, someone mixed his rations in a very new way, and so we have been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for sixty years now.