Concord Grape Jelly
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 3 hours 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 3 hours 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3pounds Concord grapes
- 3¼cups granulated sugar
- ¼cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- ¼teaspoon calcium powder, if needed (see Tip)
- 4teaspoons powdered pectin, 1 to 2 teaspoons more if needed (see Tip)
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pick the grapes off the stems, discarding any bad grapes and stems. Run the grapes under cold water to wash.
- Step 2
Place the grapes in a large nonreactive pot and pour in 6 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook without stirring until the grapes soften, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Crush the grapes using a potato masher or the flat end of a small pestle.
- Step 3
Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with 4 layers of cheesecloth or a muslin bag over another large pot, and pour in the grape mixture. Work in batches if necessary. To prevent the jelly from becoming cloudy, do not press on the grapes while straining. Allow the juice to naturally strain out until you have at least 7 cups juice, at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours. Discard the fruit in the sieve.
- Step 4
Place a small plate in the freezer; you’ll use this to test the jelly’s setting point. Set the pot with the juice over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups sugar and the lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming and discarding any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid reduces by two-thirds, about 4½ to 5 cups concentrated juice, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Step 5
If your package of pectin comes with calcium powder, stir ¼ teaspoon calcium powder into ¼ cup water to dissolve. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin. Stir to break up any lumps. Whisk 2 teaspoons calcium water into the pot, if using. Add the sugar and pectin mixture, and stir vigorously to avoid any lumps. Cook the jelly, whisking continuously to heat up and activate the pectin, about 5 minutes. To test for doneness, spoon a small amount of liquid onto the cold plate from the freezer and return to the freezer to cool completely, about 2 minutes. Drag a spoon through the cooled jelly. The pectin has been activated if the jelly wrinkles and holds its shape. If it doesn't, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons additional pectin, continue to cook the jelly for another 3 to 4 minutes and test again on the cold plate.
- Step 6
Once the jelly is done cooking, add the salt, stir to dissolve, taste and adjust with more lemon juice, if needed, for a nice balance of sweet, tart and fruitiness. Ladle the hot liquid into clean, sanitized jars, screw on the lids and follow steps to can, or cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
- There are different brands of powdered pectin, so the amount needed may change depending on which you buy. Your pectin may also be packaged with calcium powder, which is necessary for that particular brand of pectin to set, so be sure to use it if it’s included. If the package includes instructions for a jelly, follow them and adjust the amount of pectin based on the volume of reduced juice.
Private Notes
Comments
Dear me—I didn’t read the recipe fully enough before commenting. Don’t put all that water in with the grapes and then boil the juice for 45 minutes! Just stem a peck of grapes, put in a big kettle with 1/4 cup of water, and cook 10 minutes to extract the juice, mashing the grapes to help the process along. Then put through a food mill, strain, refrigerate and decant.
The grapes at the grocery are not Concord grapes. Supermarket grapes of any color are table grapes for fresh eating - too sweet and not tart enough for jelly and jam (or pie) making. Concord grapes are found at orchards, roadside stands and farmer's markets for a brief season in the fall.
After mashing the grapes to extract the juice: put all through a food mill to remove skins and seeds; then strain through a jelly bag or 4 layers of rinsed cheesecloth. 10 lbs grapes (1 peck) makes about 10 cups of juice. Let juice stand overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to put up, pour juice gently into another container, leaving the sediment undisturbed. Then proceed according to the directions on whatever brand of pectin you’re using. Or just can the juice—delicious!
How long should it take to set? Mine has been in the fridge for 24 hours and still isn’t gelled.
My mother would spend these weeks making jelly from the wild fox grapes that tangled along the roadsides. In spring we would all go out to collect the tender leaves for stuffing and in autumn we would go back and harvest the tiny grapes themselves. To the sink to wash them, then set to boil, hang from the ancient muslin bag slung from a hand-wrought wire stand... They were very, very tart and required ample sugar, but the intense flavor of my mother's fox grape jelly will never fade from memory.
I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the problem of tartrate crystals ("crunchy bits") forming in Concord grape jams and jellies that are made from fresh grape juice that has not first been allowed to sit 24 - 48 hours in the fridge to allow the crystals to form and precipitate out of the juice, and are then filtered out prior to using the juice to make jams and jellies. I ruined my very first batch because I didn't know about the tartrate crystal phenomenon.
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