Muscadines grow abundantly throughout the South, and where I live, you can often find the vines growing wild. These native Southern grapes have a thick skin, distinctive sweet-tart flavor, and wonderful fragrance that makes them especially good for homemade jelly.
If you have an abundance of fresh muscadines, turning them into jelly is one of my favorite ways to preserve the harvest. The finished jelly has a beautiful color and rich grape flavor that's delicious on biscuits, toast, or homemade bread.
- 5 cups muscadine juice
- 1 box (1.75 ounces) Sure-Jell Original Premium Fruit Pectin
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine, optional, to reduce foaming
- Prepare canner, jars and lids.
If starting with fresh muscadines, wash the grapes and remove any stems.
Place the muscadines in a large stockpot and crush them to release their juices. Heat the fruit, stirring and crushing occasionally, until the muscadines are soft and have released their juice.
Pour the cooked fruit into a damp jelly bag or a cheesecloth-lined strainer placed over a large bowl. Allow the juice to drain. For clearer jelly, avoid pressing or squeezing the fruit.
Measure 5 cups of prepared muscadine juice.
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- Measure 6 cups of sugar into a separate bowl and set aside. Have all of the sugar ready before you begin cooking the jelly.
- Pour 5 cups of muscadine juice into a large, deep saucepan or stockpot.
- Stir in one box of Sure-Jell powdered fruit pectin. Add the butter or margarine, if using, to help reduce foaming.
- Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. A full rolling boil is a boil that continues bubbling even when stirred.
- Add all 6 cups of sugar at once and stir well.
- Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- Once it reaches a full rolling boil, boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat. Skim off any foam if necessary.
- Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2-piece caps. Process 5 minutes, adjusting processing time if necessary for altitude, in boiling water canner.
- Let prepared jars stand at room temperature 24 hours. Yield about 8 cups or 4 pints.
CANNING MUSCADINEJELLY
Yield: 8 cups or 4 pints
INGREDIENTS
- 5 cups muscadine juice
- 1 box (1.75 ounces) Sure-Jell Original Premium Fruit Pectin
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine, optional, to reduce foaming
- Prepare canner, jars and lids.
If starting with fresh muscadines, wash the grapes and remove any stems.
Place the muscadines in a large stockpot and crush them to release their juices. Heat the fruit, stirring and crushing occasionally, until the muscadines are soft and have released their juice.
Pour the cooked fruit into a damp jelly bag or a cheesecloth-lined strainer placed over a large bowl. Allow the juice to drain. For clearer jelly, avoid pressing or squeezing the fruit.
Measure 5 cups of prepared muscadine juice.
- Measure 6 cups of sugar into a separate bowl and set aside. Have all of the sugar ready before you begin cooking the jelly.
- Pour 5 cups of muscadine juice into a large, deep saucepan or stockpot.
- Stir in one box of Sure-Jell powdered fruit pectin. Add the butter or margarine, if using, to help reduce foaming.
- Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. A full rolling boil is a boil that continues bubbling even when stirred.
- Add all 6 cups of sugar at once and stir well.
- Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- Once it reaches a full rolling boil, boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat. Skim off any foam if necessary.
- Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2-piece caps. Process 5 minutes, adjusting processing time if necessary for altitude, in boiling water canner.
- Let prepared jars stand at room temperature 24 hours. Yield about 8 cups or 4 pints.