Quick Answers
My mother used to make homemade grape jelly and juice, and I was unable to get her recipe before she passed away. Could you supply me with some recipes I could use?
People with extensive knowledge of canning, passed on
through oral tradition and time honored recipes are few
and far between and I am afraid we may be losing some
valuable information.
However, the USDA recipe for making grape juice
sounds like a similar procedure to the one your mother
used. You can find it on the web at:
http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/usda/
2SelectingPreparing&CanningFruit&FruitProducts/GrapeJuice.pdf.
You will need the Acrobat “plug in” for your web browser
to see the recipe. I also found an alternative that does
not involve the cooking step at
http://www.homecanning.com/. This site is maintained
by the Alltrista Corporation, the people who make Ball
and Kerr jars, and has a lot of useful information about
their products.
I know from experience that some types of grapes,
particularly “wild” varieties seem to taste better and
provide more juice if they are cooked, while some of the
more delicate cultivated varieties lose much of their
flavor when heated. Very large commercial jelly makers
will even collect the steam off of the jelly as it
cooks, condense it and use it as a concentrated grape
flavor, either back into the jelly or in other products.
The Sure-Jell package will contain information on
how to make the jelly. Grape juice is very easy to work
with.
We do not recommend paraffin covering of jelly
anymore. The new lids and bands are much more reliable
and do not need the second seal as long as they are used
correctly. There is no danger if you want to use
paraffin as well, but I don’t think it is necessary.
People also used to use paraffin alone and for jelly it
does not present a safety issue, but your jelly is more
likely to mold.
Douglas L. Holt, Ph.D., Chair, Food
Science and Extension Specialist, University of
Missouri-Columbia
Last update: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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