Heaven on Earth

Heaven on Earth

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Grapes to Jelly

 One of our grapevines died last winter and I'm not sure which variety the remaining grape is, but I can tell you that it is sweet and made some great juice.  Our altitude is 5800 ft above sea level and we need a hearty variety to survive up here.  So even though these don't make great "table grape eating" (their skins are a bit tough) the juice is wonderful.  I decided the best use of them was jelly.

I didn't have many grapes after the birds got them this year, what with the loss of the one grapevine but there was enough to make a small batch.  Who knew that green grapes made pink jelly?
 I just followed the directions for Grape jelly on a box of Sure-Jell Pectin.  And not wanting to drag my large water bath canner up from storage, I rigged up a small batch canner using the jar rings set right in a pan.  You won't want to set your glass jars directly on the bottom of the pan; they just might break.
It worked great and the jelly is good.  And the two jars in the pantry are enough grape jelly.  I usually make far more jelly than we can eat in a season anyway.  I just can't help myself.  There is something so satisfying about preserving things that we've grown and tended for the season.

4 comments:

  1. My favorite thing to use as a rack in a pot is a silicon trivet. I have one that I love that is in a flower shape, but is expandable/contractible to fit in just about any size pot. It is called a "Spice Ratchet Blossom". It is one of my very favorite kitchen gadgets! Kelly

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  2. I can't imagine having my very own grapes to do something with. I think it would be such a novelty that I would just gobble them down.

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  3. They will look so pretty on the shelf! Yummy toast at your house!

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  4. How wonderful that you have grapes. Just received "QuarterAcre farm" book on how to grow more food in the yard and still keep the HOA's happy. So far loving, have hope I will have grapes in the near future. Your jelly looks spectacular.

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