Grape Jam
Making Grape Jam in the fall is a rewarding activity that your whole family will enjoy all year long. Can it or freeze it for longer storage.
Concord grape jam is similar to grape jelly. It retains more texture and fiber from the skins and pulp since the solids aren’t removed, only seeds. The flavor and process are generally the same.
As a family, we prefer the texture of the grape jam. Leaving the skins in also increases the yield. There is less waste, so jam is actually a more sustainable product.
What you Need
- Concord Grapes: Buy grapes at the farmer’s market or grow your own grapes. They are an easy crop to grow.
- Sugar: Sugar is not only is a sweetener. Sugar will help the jam set and it also acts as a preservative.
- Bottled Lemon Juice: Bottled lemon juice is terribly important to ensure that the acidity of the jam.
- Classic Pectin: Pectin is a naturally occurring substance that makes the process of jam-making quick and painless. Without pectin, it takes double the time for the jam to cook.
Wash the grapes. Pour them into a large stainless steel pot. Add a bit of water to the pot. Bring them to a boil.
Once the water boils, turn the heat to medium and simmer them until they pop. Let them cool until they are cool enough to handle.
Remove the grape skins from the pulp.
Pulse the skins a few times in a food processor or blender. Don’t overprocess them, or the jam will lose all of its texture.
Run the grape pulp through a food mill or strainer to remove the seeds.
Measure the sugar.
Add the strained pulp and the chopped skins to a large pot with lemon juice and pectin. Stir constantly. Bring the jam to a boil that can’t be stirred down.
Add the sugar all at once. Bring the mixture back to a boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for one minute.
Fill warm jars with the hot jam with the aid of a canning funnel. Leave ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a plastic or wooden tool. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp paper towel. Center the lids on the jars. Screw on the bands fingertip-tight.
Get the canner water hot. Wash the jars and lids. Add the clean jars to the canning pot to heat. Once the jars are filled, add them to the canning pot. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Once the water is boiling, set the timer.
When the processing time is complete, remove the pot from the heat, carefully open the lid, and partially lift it off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.
Then, remove the lid and let the jars rest in the canning pot for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
After resting, remove the jars onto a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed. You may hear the lids pinging sometime in the next hour. This is music to a canner’s ears. It is due to the reaction of the lids being sealed to the jar.
Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.
Then, remove the bands. Gently pick up the jar by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.
Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark place for at least a year. Avoid areas with large temperature fluctuations.
Do not stack jars on top of each other. This can compromise the seals. If you run out of room on your shelf, use a sheet of cardboard or a thin piece of wood and place that on top of a row of jars. Then you can put jars on top of that. This will distribute the weight evenly.
Before using any canned goods, always inspect the packaging and the food itself. Make sure that it looks and smells as it should. If it doesn’t, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard it.
How to use Grape Jam
Homemade grape jam is delicious on toast; it is used in lots of recipes.
- Grape jam makes the quintessential childhood favorite, peanut butter and jam sandwich.
- Serve it on brie or cream cheese for a quick appetizer with crackers.
- Make cocktail weiners for another quick and easy appetizer.
- Use it to make a sauce to serve with chicken or pork.
- Add vinegar, mustard, oil and grape jam and make a marinade for your favorite proteins.
- Use it as a condiment for your grazing platters. It’s especially good with soft cheeses like brie, camembert, goat cheese, or queso fresco.
- Use it as a filling for cookies, cakes, and cupcakes.
More Jams and Jellies
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Classic Grape Jam
Ingredients
- 8 cups concord grapes makes about 6 cups of pulp and skins, with the water
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice
- 2¼ tablespoons low sugar pectin see recipe notes
- 6 cups Sugar
Instructions
- Prepare canning jars and lids by washing and heating them before starting the jelly. Get your canning pot on the stove.
- Wash the grapes well (organic grapes can have a whole host of creatures that call the cluster home). Remove each grape from the stem.
- Place them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Bring it to a boil.
- Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow them to cool enough to handle.
- Squeeze the pulp into a large pot. Reserve the skins.
- Strain the pulp through a food mill to remove the seeds.
- Add the skins to a food processor and pulse a few times to break them up. Don't overprocess them, or you won't maintain the texture of the jam.
- Pour the grape juice from the pulp, the processed skins, water and lemon juice into a large pot. Add the pectin and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to incorporate it. Heat up the juice to a boil that can't be stirred down over high heat. Boil for one minute.8 cups concord grapes, 1 cup water, 2¼ tablespoons low sugar pectin, 3 tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice
- Add the sugar. Bring the mixture back to a full rolling boil. (One that can’t be stirred down.) Boil for another full minute. Skim off foam, if needed.6 cups Sugar
- Ladle the hot jelly into hot jars leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove bubbles if necessary.
- Wipe the rim of the jars clean with a damp paper towel to remove any debris.
- Center the lid on the jar. Screw on the bands fingertip tight.
- Process jars for 5 minutes, adjusting for altitude. After processing is complete, let jars rest in the hot water for at least 5 minutes so that they cool slowly. This will eliminate siphoning.
- Remove jars to the counter and leave undisturbed for 12-24 hours until fully cooled. Check seals.Store jars in a cool, dark place for at least one year.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Since the jam is processed for less than 10 minutes, you should use sterilized jars.
- This recipe is fine for a water bath canner.
- Grape jam makes the quintessential childhood favorite, peanut butter and jam sandwich.
- Serve it on brie or cream cheese for a quick appetizer with crackers.
- Make cocktail weiners for another quick and easy appetizer.
- Use it to make a sauce to serve with chicken or pork.
- Add vinegar, mustard, oil and grape jam and make a marinade for your favorite proteins.
- Use it as a condiment for your grazing platters. It’s especially good with soft cheeses like brie, camembert, goat cheese, or queso fresco.
- Use it as a filling for cookies, cakes, and cupcakes.
