There is no really easy recipe for grape jelly from your own grapes because you have to make the juice first. Newer standards of canning recommend that jellies and jams no longer be sealed with paraffin, but that the two piece canning lid be used. Wash the grapes enough to remove the dirt and remove the leaves. You can remove the grapes from the stems, but it isn't really necessary. But, I would snip off the clumps of grapes from the main stem. Fill an 8 qt non-aluminum pot about 3/4 of the way with the grapes. Add 2 cups of water to keep the grapes from sticking and burning. Cook the grapes on medium high until all have popped and the grapes have reduced to about 1/2 of the pot. Stir every once in while. You should have a lot of juice by now, expecially with concord grapes. Strain the pulp through 2 layers of cheesecloth into a non-aluminum container. This will probably take some time--a few hours or so. During this time gently press on the pulp to remove all of the juice, but do not squeeze so hard that pulp comes through the cheesecloth. This will make your grape juice very cloudy. Strain the juice again if it is not as clear as you want it.
Ingredients
- 5 cups grape juice
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 package dry pectin
Directions
Mix the sugar with the grape juice in a large non-aluminum pot. Stir until dissolved. Bring to a hard boil and add the pectin. If you are living at sea level, follow the directions for grape jelly that comes with the pectin. (The pectin recipe uses more sugar than my recipe. but I found you could cut down the sugar and still get a really good jelly.) If you are living at a high altitude (like I do at 5,000 feet) you will need to boil the juice with the pectin until the jelling point is reached. You can test this by dipping a steel spoon into the boiling grape mixture and letting the juice slide off. If the last few drops come together and sheet off the spoon the juice has reached the jelling point. Or place a small amount of the boiling juice in a bowl and let it cool. If the jelling point has been reached, the sample will start to jell--set--very quickly.
Have ready sterilized, hot jelly jars with the lids and rings in simmering water. Pour the boiling juice into the jars to 1/4" of the rim. Wipe the rim with a soft, wet cloth to remove any juice, place the lid on the rim and then tighten the ring down securely. Process the bottled jelly in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes at sea level. You will have to add approximately 5 minutes of processing for every 1,000 feet above sea level. For exact times of processing, contact your County Extension Agent or consult the newest Ball Blue Book of Canning.
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Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: rec.recipes.food Archives
Submitted By: Rick Smith
rick@dragons.net
Grape Jelly