Each September I pick wild Muscadine Grapes in my yard and make jelly. This year we had a lot of grapes in Pearl River but I only made a few jars as last year I made 8 jars and have 4 left over. Too much sweet jelly may be a bad thing for the waist line? Over the years I have altered my recipe. I use the package pectin directions as a guide but do as I like with flavor. This year I left out adding in store bought grape juice but add in a pinch of cinnamon. I also let in a few of the skins, although Muscadine grape skin is tuff I like the look of the jelly, it gets a darker purple. Yum, I tasted the spoon after it cooled and it tastes great. I also used recycled jars this year and they sealed well.
For 4 jars of jelly, use about 5 cups or so fresh picked Muscadine grapes and 1 cup of water or white grape juice. (Any other juice you like to add would do fine too, like apple.) Slowly cook Muscadines and mash them well when soft. Mash well add in other juice. Remove from heat and put through fruit juice masher and strainer. Let cool well add in any other flavor, tsp vanilla, cinnamon, whatever you like.
Strain juice as well as you like. I leave in some smashed fruit.
Use 1 box pectin, add 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Measure juice and add equal amout of sugar or use directions on pectin box.
Cook juice in large pot add sugar to recipe on box of pectin. Mix pectin with juice and bring quickly to a hard, rolling boil, stirring all the time. Stir until sugar dissolves and bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down). Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Stop cooking, skim off foam if you like. Put into sterilized jelly jars, leaving some headspace.
Clean jars with a damp towel and seal with new lids according to manufacturer's instruction. Process 5 to 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
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