Honey Sweetened Concord Grape Jelly

Make and preserve your own homemade Concord grape jelly! Concord grapes have a slightly tart, musky flavor but can be transformed into a delicious grape jelly with a little sweetening. This old-time favorite is sweetened with honey in this recipe.

Concord grapes are behind the flavor of grape jelly traditionally used in peanut butter and jelly sandwich that many of us grew up eating. Ephraim Wales Bull originally developed the Concord grape in 1849 at his farm in Concord, Massachusetts. The variety was cultivated from native grape species that thrive in the cold climate of New England. The vines are so hearty that it isn’t unusual to find them growing wild on old homesteads, in the woods, and along streambeds.

Our Concord grape vines were overgrown when we purchased our property, and they continue to be a work in progress. Last year, we hacked the vines that escaped the trellis and wound their way up the nearby pine trees. We were unforgiving and cut the mature grape vines back about 90% almost to their trunk.

It doesn’t take long for vigorous Concord grape vines to become unruly, and ideally they should be pruned every year when vines are dormant. It had been several years since we had pruned the vines, and the grape production dwindled a little each year because the plants’ energy was diverted into too many directions. It was time to reel it in.

Grapes bear fruit on one-year-old canes, so we had to wait patiently a few years until the vines produced. We didn’t have a large harvest of Concord grapes this year, but it was enough for a small batch of Concord grape jelly.

Tips for Making Concord Grape Jelly

This jelly recipe uses Concord grapes, but feel free to try it with other grape varieties. The flavor will be different, but still delicious. You can also make this jelly with purchased frozen or bottled grape juice if you don’t have fresh fruit.

Harvest the Grapes at Peak Sweetness

The best way to tell if the grapes are ready to harvest is by tasting them and checking the seed color. As the fruit ripens, it will become sweet and the seeds will change from green to brown.

Make Small Batches of Grape Jelly

I know it may be tempting, especially if you have lots of grapes, but don’t double this recipe. Small batches are much easier to manage ingredients, heat, and get the jelly to gel successfully. If you have a lot of grapes, consider freezing or canning grape juice for later.

• Home Canned Concord Grape Juice

Use Pomona’s Universal Pectin

Pomona’s Universal Pectin is a citrus pectin that lets you use less sugar and other sweetening alternatives than your typical boxed pectin. It works differently than regular pectin in that it uses calcium powder to gel instead of lots of sugar. This allows the fruit flavor to shine in your jellies and jams rather than the sweetness of the sugar.

You can find Pomona’s Universal Pectin in stores with the canning supplies or online.

Allow Plenty of Time

When making jelly from fresh fruit, you will need a couple of days to extract the juice and allow the sediment to settle.

Concord grapes have a lot of sediment and can form tartrate crystals. Allowing the juice to rest overnight in the refrigerator will let the residue separate from the juice and settle on the bottom of the container.

Use a Mild Flavored Honey

Depending on where the honeybees gather nectar, the flavor of honey can range from mild to bold. You will want to choose a mild honey to sweeten jelly so the honey flavor won’t overwhelm the grapes. Generally, light-colored honey made from alfalfa or clover is milder in taste.

How to Make Concord Grape Jelly

This grape jelly is made by extracting the juice from homegrown Concord grapes, sweetening with honey, thickened with Pomona’s Universal Pectin, and processed in a water bath canner for shelf stable jars.

Don’t have access to fresh Concord grapes? You can also make Concord grape jelly using frozen or bottled Concord grape juice that can be purchased at the grocery store. You will need 4 cups of juice for this recipe.

If you are new to canning or haven’t canned in a while, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this post, but these are the general steps for making Concord Grape Jelly from fresh fruit.

Step 1: Gather Your Canning Equipment

• Water bath canner with a canning rack
• 5 half-pint canning jars
• Canning lids and bands
• Canning tools: lid lifter, jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
• Jelly strainer or cheese cloth
• Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large bowls, large sauce pot, small pot, spoons, towels, potato masher, and measuring spoons and cups.

Step 2: Prepare the Grapes

Harvest the grapes at peak sweetness. Pluck the grapes from the stems and rinse well in plain water to remove bugs, dust, and debris. You’ll need about 4 pounds of grapes to make 4 cups of juice.

Step 3: Extract the Juice from the Fruit

Extract the juice by combining the grapes and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Gently mash the grapes with a potato masher to release their juices and continue simmering over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Strain the juice through a damp jelly bag or double layers of cheesecloth. Let the fruit strain for several hours. If you want clear jelly, do not squeeze the bag. I care more for flavor rather than appearance, so I often give the bag a squeeze to press out all the flavorful juice. Discard the solids.

Step 4: Refrigerate the Grape Juice

Place the juice into the refrigerator to sit for 24-48 hours. During this time, tartaric acid crystals will form, and the sediment will settle to the bottom.

Step 5: Prepare the Canning Equipment

When you are ready to make the jelly, wash the canning jars, lids, and tools in hot, soapy water and rinse well.

Position the canning jar rack into water bath canner, set the jars in the canner, add water, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. Warm your lids in a small pot over low heat. Keep everything warm until you are ready to can your jam.

Step 6: Mix the Calcium Water

Pomona’s Universal Pectin uses calcium water to get the jelly to thicken and gel. Make this by combining 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder (from the small packet in the Pomona’s pectin box) with 1/2 cup water in a glass jar with a lid. Shake well and set aside. You will need 4 teaspoons of calcium water for this recipe. Store extra in the refrigerator for other canning recipes.

Step 7: Make the Grape Jelly

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the honey with the pectin powder. Set aside.

Remove the grape juice from the refrigerator without disturbing the settlement at the bottom. Strain the juice again through a jelly bag or double layers of cheesecloth to remove the crystals. Stop when you see the sediment reach the lip of the container. The jelly bag or cheesecloth will catch the crystals.

Measure out 4 cups of the juice into a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, calcium water, and stir to mix well. Bring juice to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the pectin-honey mixture and stir to dissolve. Continue stirring until the jelly comes back to a boil. Once it boils, remove from heat and skim off foam.

Step 8: Can the Jelly

Remove the warm jars from the canner, drain, and line up on a kitchen towel.

Ladle the grape jam into the jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims with a clean kitchen towel, add the lids and rings, and process in a water bath canner.

Let the jars cool, test the seals, label, date, and store the grape jam in a cool, dark location for up to a year. Refrigerate the jars once opened and consume within 3 weeks.

 

This article was originally published on September 17, 2016. It has been reviewed and updated on July 11, 2020.

More Articles for Preserving Fruit:

• Homemade Crabapple Jelly with No Added Pectin
• Small Batch Chokecherry Jelly
• Spiced Apple Jelly with No Added Pectin
• Cherry Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Homemade Blueberry Syrup with Honey

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