Boozy Concord Grape Jelly Recipe To Make At Home
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The creation of this Concord grape jelly was sparked by the simple “what if?” question. With spring finally here and our freezer still full of last season’s grapes, we wondered: What if we made a jam or jelly to free up space for the new harvest? And what if we added chocolate or a bit of booze to our traditional grape jelly recipe? The result is this Concord grape jelly canning recipe that we believe will soon be your favorite recipe for making Concord grape preserves.
Using food mill for this recipe
A food mill is a useful kitchen tool for making smooth sauces, soups, baby food, and purées from soft foods. It has a bowl with small holes in the bottom and a hand crank. When you turn the crank, a blade or paddle inside the mill pushes the food through the holes, removing any seeds, skins, or other unwanted bits.
Food mills are great for home canning because they can help you achieve a uniform texture without needing to peel or seed fruits and vegetables by hand. However, we don’t recommend using a food mill for making Concord grape jelly. When we tried it for one of our batches, the food mill crushed the grape seeds, letting them pass through and making the jelly gritty. To fix this, we had to strain the jelly mixture through a wire mesh strainer. Additionally, the crushed seeds added a bitter taste to our jelly, which wasn’t what we want in our Concord grape jelly.
Yield
The specified in this jam recipe quantity of ingredients should yield enough of jam to fill two 8 oz. (250 ml.) mason jars. The final yield may vary based on your preferred level of doneness.
Concord Grape Jelly with Sherry and Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 lb. grapes fully de-stemmed and washed
- 1 lb. sugar
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
- ¼ cup. Sherry wine
- 1 tsp. Pomona pectin
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Initial Cooking:
- Start by measuring the required amount of grapes for your recipe.
- Use a potato masher to gently break the grape skins and extract their juices.
- Add sugar to the crushed grapes and let them sit for about 2 hours to dissolve the sugar. Then, on low heat, bring the mixture to a boil, which should take around 25 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to boil for an additional 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
Straining the Jam:
- Using a mesh kitchen strainer and a ladle or large metal spoon, press and rub the cooked grape pulp and skins against the mesh to push the pulp and juices through. This step removes grape seeds and keeps the skins out.
Second Round of Cooking:
- Return the strained grape jelly to the pot.
- Mix lemon juice with pectin to form a slurry. Add to the grape jelly mixture
- Add cocoa powder and mix thoroughly with the jelly mixture
- Add sherry wine and bring it to a gentle boil on medium low heat.
- Once bubbles appear on the surface, lower the heat and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Perform a doneness test by spooning a teaspoon of the cooking jelly onto a fridge-chilled plate. It should thicken to the desired consistency.
- For a thicker jam, extend the cooking time by 5 more minutes.
- Have your canning jars ready so you can pour and process your Concord grape jelly immediately.
Choose your preferred canning method to preserve your jelly
For those processing this preserve using water bath or steam canner, the processing time guidelines at various altitudes are as follows:
0 – 1,000 ft: 5 mins
1,001 – 6,000 ft: 10 mins
Altitudes Above 6,000 ft: 15 mins
Frequently asked questions
Can I use fresh grapes in this Concord grape jelly recipe?
Yes, you can! Although we used frozen grapes for our Concord grape jelly batch, fresh Concord grapes will do just fine. If using frozen grapes make sure that you have them fully defrosted. As a general rule, grapes are washed and destemmed before they are frozen. Therefore, you should not be washing frozen grapes after defrosting.
How can I increase size of this jelly batch?
To double or triple the batch of this jelly, you’ll need to adjust the ingredients accordingly and pay attention to a few key points:
- Ingredient Adjustment:
- Double or triple the quantities of all ingredients in the original recipe. Make sure to maintain the same ratios of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients. Your jelly mixture layer should be no deeper than 5 inches
- Use a larger pot to accommodate the increased volume of ingredients.
- Cooking Time:
- Since you’re working with a larger volume of ingredients, the cooking time may need to be extended. Keep an eye on the consistency of the jelly and adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Stir the jam regularly to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot, especially as the volume increases.
- Testing for Doneness:
- Perform the doneness test as usual by spooning a small amount of jelly onto a chilled plate. It should thicken to the desired consistency.
- Remember that larger batches may take longer to reach the desired thickness, so be patient and continue simmering the jelly down until it reaches the right consistency.
Can I freeze Concord grape jelly instead of canning it?
This is a Concord grape jelly recipe for canning. But if you’d rather skip the canning process, you can freeze the jelly in freezer-safe containers instead.
We suggest using freezer-safe Mason jars. Leave some space at the top, label the containers with the date, and thaw the jelly in the fridge before using.
Why did my Concord grape jelly turn out bitter?
Bitterness can result from including grape seeds during cooking or as a result of crushing seeds with a food mill. Ensure seeds are removed during straining. Additionally, we recommend against using food mill when making this recipe.
Do I need to use pectin to make this Concord grape jelly?
Pectin helps jelly set properly. While we are not fans of commercial pectin due to additives, we found a perfect pectin to do the job. The one we mention in our concord grape jelly recipe is a natural fruit pectin that does not include any artificial preservatives, like dextrose, and no citric acid.
How to enjoy this Concord grape jelly?
There are several delicious ways to enjoy this boozy cocoa powder-infused concord grape jelly:
- On Toast: Spread it generously on toast for a breakfast or snack.
- In Desserts: Use it as a topping for cheesecake. Make sure you warm it up first!
- On Pancakes or Waffles: Spread it over pancakes or waffles for a decadent breakfast treat.
- Straight from the Jar: Enjoy it straight from the jar with a spoon for an indulgent sweet treat. Go ahead! We won’t judge!
