How to Make Grape Jelly!

      Usually in my home school curriculum, I have to do a report on two current events that are happening in the United States. But this week, my mom assigned me the task of writing a blog post about grape jelly. We have recently made some, which not only counted for life skills, but is a great treat for the whole family!

    First, you need to understand that we were making grape jelly. When you make grape jelly, you are just using the juices from the grapes to add to your mixture. In grape jam, you use juices and include bits of grapes, or whatever fruit you're using (strawberries,etc.)
   
*If you are going to be making grape jelly, you need to prep first. You need to wash all jars and lids and then soak them in a tray of hot water. You also need to have a big tub of water to put your jars of jelly in, after you have made everything (but that's almost the last step).*

1. The first thing to do in order to create grape jelly, is obtain some grapes! My mom and I picked grapes fresh from our grandpa's old vine that was teeming with the juicy fruit. We filled up a bucket and drove back home, ready to create some awesome jelly!

The grapes after being rinsed.

 2. Rinse the grapes in your sink. You don't need to wash them with soap or anything, just rinse them off.

3. Pick stems off grapes. Make sure there are NO stems on the grapes.You don't want stems to get into your jelly, that's just gross. It does take time, but the end result is better than any store-bought jelly. Trust me.

4. Crush the grapes in a big bowl using a potato masher. After taking off the stems and transferring them to a new bowl, we had to crush the grapes. I'm going to be a therapist and tell you that this is an excellent way to get rid of your anger! We used a potato masher and crushed the grapes until all were squished.

Crushing the grapes.

5. Put crushed grapes in a pot and pour in enough water so that it is level with the grapes.

6. Boil them and then let them simmer for ten minutes, while stirring. This whole process helps break down the skin of the grapes, which is essential for good jelly.

Boiling grapes.

7. After ten minutes of simmering, remove the grapes and put them in a Foley Food Mill. Put in small amounts until all the grapes have been worked. A Foley Food Mill helps to drain out the juices of the grapes, which is the main element in the jelly. My mom said that her grandma used to have one of these back in the old days (no offense to anyone from that time period). They can still be bought today, though. If you're looking to purchase one click here.

Foley Food Mill

8. Transfer the juice to a strainer. Strain all the juice into one pot. We do this step to catch any chunks of grapes that were hidden in the juice. We are making jelly, not jam, thus this step is required.

*Now, you need to prepare for the steps to follow. Make sure to clear your schedule for the day because this is a timed process. Don't forget to wash all jars and lids and then soak them in a tray of hot water. You also need to have a big tub of water to put your jars of jelly in, after you have made everything (but that's almost the last step)*

Wash jars and lids.

Soak jars and lids in hot water.

10. Measure out 7 (seven) cups of sugar, EXACTLY. 

11. Next, measure out 5 (five) cups of juice, EXACTLY. Both this step and the last step need to have exact measurements.

12. Put the juice in a pot. Place it on the stove on medium-high to high heat.

13. Add one packet of pectin.

Add pectin.

13. Add 1/2 tsp. of butter. This helps cut down on foam that will be produced later.

Add butter.

14. Boil until juice comes to full-rolling boil. A full-rolling boil is when a mixture boils and does not go away when stirred.

15. Add sugar. The full-rolling boil should come to stop when the sugar is added.

16. Stir sugar until full-rolling boil. Make sure to mash up the clumps of sugar.

17. After 1 minute of full-rolling boil, remove from stove.

18. Scrape off foam. There should be some foam that has formed on the top of the mixture. Scrape off with spoon.

19. Add jelly mixture to jars. Don't fill all the way to the top.  (*Jars and lids should be washed*) We used a funnel to ladle jelly in. If you would like to purchase one click here.

Add jelly using funnel.

Ladling jelly.

20. Wipe off tops of jars. This helps with the sealing process.

21. Put hot lids on jars. We used a magnetized lid tong to put on the jars. It is not essential, but if you would like one click here.

Putting lids on jars.

22. Screw lids on.

Screwing on lids.

23. Put jars (using tongs) in pot full of boiling water. *You should already have this prepared*

Use tongs to put jars in pot.

24. Boil jars. This should take around ten minutes. You might want to set a timer.

Set timer for ten minutes.

25. When done, take out and set on towel (use tongs). 

26. Let jars set until you hear a ping. This signifies that the jars are sealed.

Jelly setting.

27. If a jar does not ping, it is not sealed. Use this jar of jelly first.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are done! Hopefully, everything worked out great (if you followed these instructions, it should have). Now, go enjoy that delicious jelly! Thanks for reading!