Monday, April 15, 2013

Grape Jelly Tutorial




Wanna learn how to make the greatest grape jelly? We thought so! :)

Welcome to a helpful step-by-step tutorial. When we're finished we'll have gone from a few jugs of grape juice to delicious homemade grape jelly that tastes so good you'll never want to eat store-bought again. :D

So, to get started...

Ingredients That You Will Need: 

  • Grape Juice (we use Welch's 100% grape juice)
  • Pectin (We use sure-jell low-sugar pectin... it's the pink box.) :) 
  • Sugar (Yeah, this recipe uses sugar, but this is a low-sugar recipe, using half the normal amount of sugar!)
  • Lemon Juice (about 1 Tablespoon)
  • Butter (about a Tablespoon)
The tools you'll need are: 
  • Canning Jars
  • Water-Bath Canner and rack (A big black cauldron-like thing like granny used to use)
  • Jar Lids~ only use new lids for canning
  • Jar Rings
  • Jar Lifter/grippers
  • Long-handled stirring spoon
  • Tablespoon measuring spoon
  • Ladle
  • (optional) Magnetic Wand (magnetic stick thing for pulling jar lids out of the water)
  • Washcloth
  • Towels
  • Kitchen Timer
  • Funnel
One batch of grape jelly takes...
  • 5 1/2 cups of juice.
  • 3 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 1/2 Tablespoon (small pat) of butter.
This makes 7 cups of jelly, which fits into 7 jelly (half-pint) jars.

We usually make a triple batch (or more) since we go through grape jelly on whole wheat toast so fast in our house. :D


STEP ONE: PREP.

  • WASH your jars in hot, soapy water (or you can use your dishwasher) so that they are all clean, checking for chips around the rims. Uneven jar rims will interfere with a perfect seal.
  • Set up a sugar station! A bowl, sugar, a "1 cup" and a "1/2 cup" measuring cup, and a knife. This makes doing more than one batch much simpler. :)
  • Measure ingredients exactly. Spoon sugar into dry measuring cups (plastic or metal). Scrape excess sugar from top of cup with a straight-edged knife. Use liquid (glass or plastic) measuring cups with a pour spout to measure juice. 
  • To the left of the stove, I place a wooden cutting board to set the pot with the cooked jelly on when it is done. Next to it, I put a towel to set the hot jars on. I lay out the ladle and funnel here with a set of hot mitts, and also the seven jar rings. 
  • Get out a large pot for the grape mixture to be cooked in (6-8 quarts).
  • Get out a small pot to boil the jar lids. Put the lids in the pot and cover with water. Heat them on a small burner, this ensures that the rubber is soft for sealing and that the lids are sterilized. Once it boils, turn it down to simmer.
  • The jars need to be sterilized - put them in the canner and fill it half full with water, making sure the jars are completely covered. Place the canner on the large (back) burner on your stove and turn on high. We'll be bringing the water up to a rolling boil. (It will take a while to get all that water up to temp.) 
  • Set out a "Landing Station" for the finished jars of jam to sit on by laying out a clean towel on your countertop. The jelly will have to sit for 24 hours without being disturbed after it is canned. (but oh, it is worth the wait) ;) 
Now for the fun!

1. The water in the canner should be heating with the jars inside being sterilized. Lids should be warming in the small pan.
2. Measure exact amount of sugar (3 1/2 cups) into a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Measure exact amount of prepared juice (5 1/2 cups) into 6 or 8 quart pot.  
4. Stir in 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon butter to grape juice in the pot.
5. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar set aside into the grape juice (take it from the bowl, don't add any extra)
6. Put one package of pectin into the grape juice. 
7. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.



8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off any foam.
9. Remove jars from the canner, making sure all the water is out of them. Place them on the towel. 



10. Using the funnel, ladle grape jelly quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of the tops.
11. Wipe jar rims and threads with a warm washcloth. Use the magnetic wand to get the hot lids and place lids on filled jars.


12. Screw on the rings tightly. Place jars in the canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. 
13. Cover; bring to gentle boil. Process jelly 5 minutes. (Adjust processing time according to altitude chart.  See insert that comes with the pectin.)
14. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, later that day, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

We love the "*POP*" sound the jars make when they seal! :)
(We did a double batch of grape jelly, so we used pint jars... normally you would use half-pint (or 'jelly') jars.)
You did it! You made awesome homemade grape jelly.  If you have kids and they are anything like mine, you'll never go back to store bought jelly because they will love your homemade jelly so much!!

If you're interested in more information about canning, be sure to check out the Ball Website. :) 

If you are going to make more than one batch in that day, you can wash the large pot, ladle and funnel and set up the next batch while the jars are processing.  It is amazing how fast it will go if you do this. 

Let us know how your grape jelly turned out! :)








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36 comments:

  1. Cool! I have made blueberry jelly but never grape, I had made the blueberry jelly for homemade pop tarts, yummy! But grape would be even better, and its the only other jelly my brother likes besides blueberry! So thanks!!! -Abby S.

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    1. Oooh, blueberry sounds delicious. Grape jelly is my brothers' favorite too, they love it! :)

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  2. Oh my! We LOVE homemade jelly in our house! Thank you for sharing your recipe - this will be wonderful as we won't have to wait for fruit to be in season (as we have to do with our strawberry jelly). I will definitely try this sometime, thank you so much for your oh, so helpful tutorial! :D

    ~Rachel~

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    1. You're welcome, Rach! That's one thing we love about making the grape jelly... grape juice is always around. :D I'm hoping we can make some fresh strawberry jam soon, for the berries are ripe here in Georgia!! :D

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  3. I am trying to figure out what is in the spoon that looks like you are getting it out of the pot???

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    1. Charlotte, that photo illustrates how we skim the foam off the top of the boiled grape juice before we put it into the jars. Otherwise the foam forms a gummy-like substance in the jars and doesn't can as well.

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  4. This looks like a GREAT recipe. I wonder if it could be done with raspberry juice... Have you ever tried to freeze this jelly?

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    1. It IS a great recipe, if we do say so ourselves. ;) OOOH, I think it would be delicious with raspberry juice... wow. :D I've always wanted to try it with apple juice... but now all sorts of possibilities are exploding in my mind! Cran-pomegranate juice, strawberry-kiwi juice... yum. :D We HAVE done it with white grape juice, that's called "moonshine" jelly and is VERY good.

      Nope, never tried freezing it! We've never done freezer jam, actually!

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  5. Really, that's it. I was picturing the grapes, vines, seeds, the skins, the mess. Thank you for sharing a great tutoral.

    Consider yourself hugged,
    http://simpleesue.com/frivolous-friday-bacon-corn-pancakes/

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    1. That's it, Sue! Simple and fun. You're very welcome! :D

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  6. Thank you so much for sharing on Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!

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    1. Our pleasure, Chandra, and thanks for hosting! :)

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  7. Great recipe! We have cut out a lot of processed foods so I can use your tips to make our own!! LOVE IT

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    1. Yep, this is another easy-peasy way to substitute a processed item for homemade! Plus, it's just tastier, too. :D

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  8. What beautiful and cheery pictures! I love canning too :) Haven't tried grape jelly yet… I will put that on the list!

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    1. Well, thank you!! I take all of our pictures so I'm gratified to hear they look beautiful. :O! If you love canning but haven't tried grape yet, GO FOR IT. You'll love it. :D

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  9. What an absolutely fantastic tutorial. Thank you. My mother used to make grape jelly and I feel like I could smell your pictures. These would make sweet sheltering gifts, too. (If my family didn't eat it all!)

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    1. Pamela,
      Your comment made both my mother and I smile. :D I'm so glad our post brought to mind some wonderful memories for you! Oh yes, jellies and jams make wonderful gifts... we've given people jam for bridal shower, wedding, and housewarming presents, sometimes in a gift basket with other kitchen items. :)

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  10. I have NEVER canned......can you believe that? Putting this on my list to try this summer!

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    1. Never?! O.o - You must try it, it's so much fun and it's just an amazing feeling holding something in your hand that you've preserved in a jar, yourself! :D

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  11. I have always wanted to make grape jelly. This looks easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing. :) I am a new follower of your blog. I recently started my own blog. I would love for you to check it out. I hope that you both have a blessed day as well.

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    1. Thanks for following us, Deanna! We'll come by and visit your blog!

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  12. I love canning. I haven't made grape jelly for ages. I'm going to try your recipe sometime soon. Pinning! And I'm featuring you at Terrific Tuesdays.

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    1. Canning is a blast, we love it too! Hope you like our grape jelly recipe! :D Hurray! We love being featured, thank you so much!

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  13. Yum! This looks great. I've made this before and your tutorial is right on and very informative. Thanks! Thanks so much for linking up with our Make Bake Create party this past week. I'd love for you to come link with my Homemaking Party, if you'd like!

    Blessings,
    Mrs. Sarah Coller

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    1. Thank you, Sarah! Glad to hear the tutorial is right-on! :) And thanks for the invite, we'll check it out. :D

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  14. What a great tutorial! I am starting my canning marathon now and probably won't be done till Fall, lol! :-) Thanks so much for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday!" I hope you will be able to join us again this week. :-)

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    1. Ha-ha-ha! Canning marathon is right... what with all the garden goodness to be harvested throughout the year. :D Thanks for having us, we enjoy participating in the linky! :)

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  15. It's been years since I've made jelly and I've never made it from store bought juice. Think it's time to dust off my canner and make up a batch!

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    1. Store-bought juice works just fine, actually! :D We have tried making jelly from muscadine grapes on our property, and though the jelly was delicious in the extreme, the process was very time-consuming!! Pity we haven't gotten enough grapes to do it again. ;)

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  16. Thanks for this detailed and empowering tutorial! Featuring at A Crafty Soiree tomorrow!

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    1. Wow, thanks Malia! We'll definitely come by and say hi! We love being featured. ;) Thanks for letting us know!

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  17. I love this idea. We used to always make grape jelly when I was growing up but it was a lot of work dealing with the grapes! This is a great short-cut, and I love the 1/2 sugar too. Thanks for linking this up at Think Tank Thursday. We are happy to feature you again today!
    http://www.saving4six.com/2013/04/welcome-to-think-tank-thursday-27.html

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    1. Yayyy! Being featured is so fun! :) Thank you! Yes, it's a lot easier making the jelly from Welch's juice versus having to mash grapes. :P

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  18. Grape Jelly from grape juice was one of the first things I learned to make after I married many years ago. The recipe called for sealing with wax instead of processing. I haven't even thought of that in years and I haven't seen any other recipes recently using wax as a seal. Thanks for this post, I will perhaps again give Grape Jelly a try. Beautifully written and photographed. Your cheery personally comes through!

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    1. Hi Connie! Goodness, I can't imagine sealing jelly with wax, that would be messy... Yes, you should give grape jelly a go, it's worth it! :) Thanks so very much for the compliments, we put a lot of work into each blog post and it's lovely being appreciated! :D

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