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Vintage Grape Jelly

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"There are so many varietal options when it comes to grapes. Concord grapes are the most popular and readily available. Valiant is a hardy variety of sweet and flavorful blue grapes. There are also gorgeous white grape varieties, Edelweiss being the most popular. If using wild-grown or tight-skinned wine grapes, add ¼ cup of bottled lemon juice to the grapes when boiling and use 3 ½ cups of strained liquid."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 pounds grapes, stemmed
â—¦ ½ cup water
â—¦ 3 pounds (7 cups) sugar
â—¦ 2 (3-ounce) pouches liquid pectin


Recipe

In a large pot, cover the jars with hot water, add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. In a smaller pot, add lids and rings, 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and water to cover. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Place the grapes in a large stockpot and mash them with a potato masher to break open every grape. Add the ½ cup of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, and mashing with a potato masher from time to time. Remove from heat. Using cheesecloth, gently place the boiled grapes on the cheesecloth and allow them to drain for 2 hours, or until 4 cups of juice is captured.

Transfer the juice to a large heavy-bottomed pot and mix in the sugar. Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, add both pouches of liquid pectin and mix well. Return to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off the foam with a spoon and discard.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Using a funnel, ladle the hot jelly into the jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional jelly if necessary to maintain the ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Place the jars in the water bather, ensuring each jar is covered by at least 1 inch of water. Add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar to the water and turn the heat to high. Bring the canner to a boil and process both pints and half-pints for 10 minutes. Be sure not to start your timer until the water is at a full rolling boil. After processing, wait 5 minutes before removing the jars from the canner.

Makes 2 pints or 6 half-pints