Wild Grape Jelly



Wild Grape Jelly

from:

3 lbs wild grapes, stemmed, vetted

3 cups water

4.5 cups sugar

1 (85ml) pkg liquid pectin

In large saucepan, crush grapes with potato masher; pour in water and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until fruit is very soft.

Transfer to jelly bag or colander lined with a double thickness of fine cheesecloth and let drip overnight.

Measure juice (you should have 3 cups/750 ml) into a large heavy saucepan; stir in sugar.

Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in pectin.

Return to full boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Pour into sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.

No Pectin/Low Sugar Version:

from:

Grapes have plenty of pectin and if you are patient, you will be rewarded with a beautiful color and wiggly set. I never really liked grape jam or jelly as a child. Those flavors just tasted like sugar to me. This tastes like concentrated grapes. You get a bit of the tannins and a rich and unexpected depth of flavor. The gathering of these grapes was well worth the effort. Like many wild foods, you have to hit it when the time is right. I gathered and made this jelly last week and the remaining grapes in my neighborhood are already drying out. Some may continue to be available at higher and cooler elevations over the summer and fall.

Wild Grape Jelly

from: (my amendments in red)

Ripe wild grapes (2 of my largest metal bowls heaping full of grapes, processed singly)

water (just less than a cup per pound of grapes)

Sugar

Lemon Juice

Step 1 - Make the Juice

Remove the grapes from the stems. Wash and sort them, removing grapes that are spoiled and any debris. Place the grapes in a large pot with enough water to cover the bottom by 1/2 inch or so. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer until the grapes are soft. You can help them release their juice by mashing and stirring with a potato masher as they cook. Once the grapes are pulpy and the skins easily separate from the rest of the fruit, remove them from the heat. Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place the colander over a tall pot. Gently pour in the cooked grapes. Allow the fruit to drain, undisturbed, 8 hours or overnight. Do not squeeze the fruit in the cloth. (I squeezed) Let the juice stand for several hours to allow the tannins to settle to the bottom of the pan. Carefully pour the juice off and leave as much of the sediment behind as possible. Now your juice is ready to make into jelly.

Step 2 - Make the Jelly

• Prepare the boiling water bath and several jars, lids and rings. (I heated the jars in the oven at 225 for 20 mins and boiled the lids for 10 mins)

• Place some saucers and teaspoons in the freezer.

• Measure the grape juice. Your batch can be somewhere between 4 and 6 cups. Don't use more than 6 cups of juice. (I used 7 cups and 8.5 cups in the next batch)

• Add 3/4 cup sugar for each cup of juice. (I used 4 cups sugar for 7 cups juice, 6 cups for the 8.5 cups juice) Stir to dissolve.

• Taste and add lemon juice to balance the sweetness. (My grapes were quite sweet and I added a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice just to balance the flavor. The lemon juice is not needed for a safe acidity with most wild grapes.) (I didn't add lemon juice)

• Bring the juice and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil until the juice reaches about 220 degrees. (It rises when it's reached the jelling temp) Jelly does not visibly thicken like jam does. You can use the thermometer to let you know when to start the saucer testing. Once the temperature is reached, use one of the frozen spoons to scoop out a small amount of the jelly. Place the spoon back in the freezer for a few minutes. Observe how the jelly pours off the spoon onto the saucer. When it sheets or bloops off, push what has fallen to the saucer with your finger. If it wrinkles and mounds up, it is ready.

• Remove the jelly from the heat and skim any foam. (I didn't have any foam)

• Carefully ladle the jelly into the hot, prepared jars. Leave a quarter inch head space. Wipe the rims and cover with the prepared lids and rings. (Didn't wipe; didn't mess them up)

• Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Use your jar lifter to remove the jars from the boiling water bath, being careful to keep the jars level, and place them on a towel lined tray. Do not disturb the jars until after the seal has formed. The jelly's set will become more firm over the next few days. (Didn't boiling process them)

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