PREP: 45 minutes COOK: 30 minutes STAND: 4 hours 30 minutes CHILL: 12 hours PROCESS: 5 minutes MAKES: 5 half-pints

Classic Grape Jelly

What You’ll Need

6 lb. Concord grapes (use about 4½ lb. fully ripe grapes plus about 1½ lb. firm slightly less-ripe grapes)

¾ cup water

3¾ cups sugar (tip, page 231)

How to Make It

1. Wash and stem grapes. In a 6- to 8-qt. heavy pot (tip, page 228) crush grapes with a potato masher. Add the water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until grapes are very soft.

2. Line a colander with several layers of 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Place colander over a large bowl. Pour grapes and cooking liquid into colander. Let stand at room temperature 4½ hours. Measure about 7 cups grape juice. Discard seeds and cooked skins in colander. Cover and chill the juice 12 to 14 hours.

3. Using clean cheesecloth, line colander with several layers of 100%-cotton cheesecloth; set colander over a large bowl. Strain chilled juice through cheesecloth, straining out sediment; discard cheesecloth.

4. Place strained juice in the same pot. Add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until jelly sheets off a metal spoon and reaches 220°F. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.

5. Ladle hot jelly into five hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.

6. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)

PER 1 TBSP. JELLY: 69 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 1 mg sodium, 18 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.

1. A full rolling boil occurs when bubbles break the surface so rapidly you can’t stir them down.

2. When the jelly is ready, it will slide in sheets, rather than in drips, from a metal spoon.

3. Before ladling the jelly into jars, use a metal spoon to gently scoop the foam off the top.