Concord Grape Jelly

Concord Grape Jelly

If the only grape jelly you have ever tasted is the mass-produced stuff you get at the grocery store you really should try homemade Concord grape jelly. It is so much better. I was lucky enough to get some local grapes from 2 friends. Most were Concord grapes but there were also some lovely seeded green grapes. I combined the 2 to create a jelly that tastes amazing.

Ideally you’ll need about 1/4 of the grapes to be a little under ripe. When making grape jelly you have to first extract the juice from the grapes.  Best method is to wash and stem the grapes and place them in large kettle with a little water. For every 3-5 pounds of grapes 1/2 cup of water should suffice. Crush the berries and cook over high heat until they are softened. Stir once in a while to prevent scorching. Drain the juice with a colander then strain again through a jelly bag or several layers of dampened cheese cloth. Place juice in the fridge for 12 hours or up to a couple of days. Sometimes crystals form in grape juice. After chilling you can strain the juice again to remove any of them.

Skipping this chilling/straining step may result in crystals in your jelly. Harmless but unappetizing. Now that you have juice you can make your jelly. Here is the recipe I used.

Concord Grape Jelly

5 1/2 c. grape juice

1 box powdered pectin

5 c. sugar

Combine juice and pectin in pot and heat to boiling over high heat- stirring often. Add sugar and return to the boil, stirring pretty much the whole time. Once the mixture comes to a full, rolling boil- cook it one minute longer. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle hot jelly into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes. Yield- about 6 half-pint jars.