Concord grape jam

5 from 2 votes

This Concord grape jam might take a little more preparation than some, but it's well worth the effort with a wonderful vibrant color, flavor and smooth texture.

Prep Time1

Cook Time50

Total Time1 50

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Servings: (approx - makes around 1 ¾ cup giving 28tbsp)

Calories: 59kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

1 ½ lb Concord grapes
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated, 1tsp is around ½ lemon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove the grapes from the stems and discard any that are still green - weigh the grapes without the stems. Wash the grapes well then drain in a colander/strainer.
Pop the grapes with your fingers to remove the skin, squeezing the pulp and any juices into a medium pot/saucepan. Collect the skins in a bowl. Repeat until you have all the pulp in the saucepan/pot and skins in the bowl.
Place the pot/saucepan over a medium heat and warm for a couple minutes to bring the mixture to a simmer so that the pulp softens. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. Then press the mixture through a fine strainer to collect all of the pulp and remove the seeds. You get a good number of seeds so you will probably want to discard them now and then so you don't block the strainer. Try to make sure all of the pulp goes through so press pretty well with a spatula or spoon. Alternatively, you can use a food mill.
Place the grape skins in a blender and add a few spoonfuls of the strained grape pulp. Blend up the mixture up to break up the skins - it's up to you whether you leave just a little bit of texture or make completely smooth. (If you are preparing the grapes ahead, you can just combine this with pulp in a sealed container and store in the fridge for a few hours/the next day.)
Place the grape pulp, pureed skin mixture, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium wide pot/saucepan (I use the same one I used to warm the pulp to avoid extra cleaning) and place over a medium heat. Stir as it heats to dissolve the sugar, but try to avoid splashing the sugar up the side of the pot - scrape down as you stir.
Bring the jam to a simmer, reduce the heat a little and simmer for approximately 50 minutes (or less/longer, as needed), stirring occasionally. The jam will become a little darker in color and thicker - when you stir a spatula through, it will take a bit longer to close in behind.
As you get towards the end, test the jam to see if it sets - if you have a cold plate (ideally one you placed in the freezer before), place a small amount on the plate. Leave a few seconds to cool a little then tilt the plate to see how much it runs - it should hold a bit. Then run your finger through the middle of the jam and it should leave an open gap rather than close in completely behind. When this happens, the jam should be ready.
Remove the pan from the heat an allow to cool a minute or two. Transfer to your prepared clean jar(s) and put lid on while still hot (see above re proper canning methods if you plan to store longer). Leave to cool.

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