Once you’ve got the fruit prepped, place it in a large pot, and give it a few good mashes with a potato masher to get things going. Bring the fruit and juice to a boil, and then cook the fruit until the apples are softened. Periodically smash grapes while the fruit is cooking to make sure they release all of their juice.

I like to use a cheesecloth-lined colander to drain the cooked fruit—it’s cheaper and more readily available than a jelly bag, and it is just as re-usable. Photo: Kate Williams

Hard-core jelly fanatics often say that the only way to drain jelly is to let it slowly drip through a jelly bag overnight. A second straining the next morning is not unheard of. I am not that much of a fanatic. Instead, I drain the juice through a cheesecloth-lined colander. I try not to press on the grapes too much since it will make the final jelly cloudier, but a little nudge or two doesn’t hurt anything. After about 20 minutes, the draining will slow down, and you can discard the pulp.

To determine the amount of sugar you’ll need to set the jelly, you’ll need to measure out the juice. I like to use equal parts sugar and juice, by volume. This means if you have 4 1/2 cups juice, you’ll need to add 4 1/2 cups sugar. Add the measured juice and sugar back to the pot (which you’ve cleaned in the meantime, right?).

It’s easy to flavor jellies with herbs and spices. Tie them up an a little packet of cheesecloth and throw add it to the pot with the juice and sugar. Photo: Kate Williams

If you want to flavor your jelly in any way, now is the time. Tie up any spices or herbs in a small packet using cheesecloth and a bit of butcher’s twine. Here I’ve got a tablespoon each of fennel and black peppercorns. Leave enough string to tie the packet to your pot handle so you can fetch it out easily. Place the packet in the juice and sugar mixture.

I don’t have a counter next to my stove, so I place a towel-lined baking sheet next to my boiling jelly as a landing pad for the mason jars (sterilizing in the stockpot in the back). The jelly should be cooking at a rolling boil, pictured bottom right. Photo: Kate Williams

Bring the juice and sugar mixture to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture reaches a vigorous boil, toss in a little butter. In what seems like an act of magic, the butterfat will help reduce foaming as the jelly boils. It won’t prevent boiling over, so be sure to stir regularly as the jelly cooks. If you’re using a seasoning packet, taste occasionally as you’re cooking the jelly to gauge the flavor. Once you can taste your seasonings, remove the seasoning packet.

I like to cook jelly until I can get a reading 222 degrees; this helps guarantee that the rest of the pot is at least at 220 degrees, which is the set point for sugar. Photo: Kate Williams

I tried making the jelly with and without pectin, but found that the jelly made with pectin needed far too much sugar to set properly. I wanted to taste grapes, not sugar. To set the jelly without pectin, you need to cook the jelly until it reaches a temperature of 220 degrees throughout. But don’t just look for a single 220-degree reading. There are often pockets of higher temperature sugar in the pot, so be sure to give the jelly mixture a few good stirs and check the temperature several times. As extra insurance, I’ll often cook the jelly until I get a reading of 222; that way, I know that the rest of the jelly is at least 220 degrees.

I use a standard size canning funnel to help fill the jars. This jar needs just a little more jelly to fill it within 1/4-inch headspace. Photo: Kate Williams

Carefully remove the jars from the canning pot. Use a ladle and canning funnel to fill the jars with the jelly mixture, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace between the top of the jelly and the top of the jar. Wipe any jelly drips from the rims of the jars with a wet towel dipped in hot water. Top the jars with the flat lid and screw on the rings just until it is closed (“finger-tip” tight). You don’t want to close the jars too tightly because you want oxygen to bubble out while the jars are boiling.

Return the filled jars to the canning and the water back to a rolling boil. Once the water reaches a boil, set a timer for 5 minutes. Many older canning books call for at least 10 minutes of boiling because it was believed that anything canned using a water bath need at least that long to reach 210 degrees in the center of the jar. But since the jelly is not dense and the jars are small, they only need 5 minutes to reach the proper temperature.

Remove the jars from the canner and place them on the towel-lined counter or baking sheet. Let them cool completely before storing them. You should hear all of the lids “ping” shut; if not, you’ll need to refrigerate any jars with imperfect seals.

Spooned atop a schmear of homemade cream cheese, this grape jelly is worlds away from the dreaded Welch’s of my youth. The sweet, faintly musty flavor of the concords truly shines through; it’s a great snack today, but will be even better come January when fall grapes are a distant memory.

This grape jelly pairs well with cool, spreadable homemade cream cheese and a hearty whole grain cracker. Photo: Kate Williams

Recipe: Concord Grape Jelly

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DIY: Concord Grape Jelly

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