Grape Ginger Jelly

This Grape Jam came from the grape adventure my friend
Darcy took me on. We were able to pick all the grapes by hand.
When you have been preserving food for a while people start to give you a free pass to pick there fruits and vegetables ! Just remember to give them some of your goodies once canned!




I have so many grapes but in cooking and straining them down it was not quite as much. I made a Grape Strawberry Jam and a Grape Marmalade and now this one Grape Ginger Jam and I do know how much people love the ginger! I always get a large amount from the local farm and use it in so many ways. Candied Ginger is great for a Holiday gift giving.





Once I cooked them down I did get a fair amount
of fresh juice. I let my grape mixture cool down a bit and ran it through my Jelly Strainer.

My Jelly Strainer

Ingredient's

4 cups of fresh grape juice
1 cup chopped ginger
1/4 cup of lemon zest
4 tbs lemon juice
4  cups sugar






Alright start by putting your grape juice into a large pot.  Bring this to a boil and while it is getting there add your chopped ginger. Add your lemon juice.  Bring the grape juice and ginger mix to a rapid boil, stir- stir -stir.

You want this to come to a rapid boil that you can not stir down. Now add you sugar and bring it up to another rapid boil. Like all the jam's we make this jelly is no different we need to get it to the temperature for a good gel. the gel point of 222 degrees is the temperature we need .

Once you have reached the gel point you can turn the heat off let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. Slowly and carefully scrap the foam off the top. Here is the Foam story

Alright now all that is left to do is fill those jars 1/4" from the top, wipe the rims, cap and water bath. Water bath for 15 minutes.

This makes about 8 half pints. Make sure you date and label with the name of the jelly you have in the jar's.

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.

Pomegranate Jelly/Jam

My neighbor has a pomegranate tree so each year it is mine.  I hope that she never cuts it down. You will get about 6 pints from this recipe for pomegranate jelly/jam

Ingredients

5 pounds of pomegranates- makes -  5 cups of pomegranate juice.
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cups of granulated sugar
1 box of pectin - Mix the pectin with about a cup of your sugar makes it easier to mix into the juice. It is your first ingredient to add. If you want thicker jelly just add about 1/4 of a pack of pectin more. I do! Here is a pectin link

It is a long and tedious process for me because I get so many pomegranates that it is insane. But good delicious insane.To clean my pom's I crack them in half and get the guts out. I then fill a bowl with cool water and begin to tear the pulp from the core the seeds will sink the pulp will float.







Once you have separated the seeds rinse them and make sure all the white is off them. If any seeds float that means that there is still white on them. Here is the detailed link to clean.

I know you think I have enough. For me it is a two day process just to clean and separate I get so many. But I have so much juice for food and recipes far beyond the jelly I make.









 
 Ok the first thing you want to do is cook your pomegranate almost to a boil to help make the juice come on down. Just a medium heat you do not want to burn or over cook. Simmer them for 10 minutes then into the food mill. After you have run it through the food mill you will now need to use  a jelly strainer.








 I know this seems like a lot of tools and time. BUT all the tools I use, I use over and over and over. This and all my tools have been great investments.

DO NOT cut corners when it comes to your jam's. I found a link that has a few ways to make juice if you do not have a food mill.

Look at that beautiful juice I got from the fruit. So rich and delicious. So worth the time to make this jelly. And this is probably the only jelly I make besides Grape. All my others are jams. 

But if you want to you can set aside some seeds and add them to your jelly to get a little crunch.

 I do a few jars this way Take the last of the jelly prior to filling the last jars and add seeds to the mix. So far they seem to just rise to the top a look I do not like  Here is the link to add your seeds .

So make your own jammin decision.  

Ok now it is time to cook your jelly put your gorgeous juice into a large pot and add your lemon juice and pectin/sugar mix. Bring this to a rolling boil one you can not stir down. This will take about 10 minutes.

 

Now add the remaining sugar and bring it back to a rolling boil. Once you can not stir down the rolling boil take the pot off the burner and let it sit for 5 minutes scrape off the foamy stuff. Pour the jam into the jars leaving a 1/4 inch from the top. Whip the rims of the jars place the lid and screw top and water bath for 15 minutes.  

Once they are done let them cool for 5 minute prior to removing them from their bath. Remove let them cool for 24 hours remove the twist top clean and label. Store without the twist top

 
 

You do not want to store your jams with a twist top still on here is the link to why you store jar with no twist ring.









Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.