Homemade grape jelly captures the sweet, rich taste of fresh grapes in a way that store-bought products can’t compete with. Making your own jelly at home is surprisingly easy, and can be a fun activity for the whole family. If properly bottled, homemade jelly can last for up to a year, making it a great way to use end-of-season grapes. While any colour grape can be used to make jelly, we recommend black grapes for their rich, deep colour and natural sweetness.

To make grape jelly, you’ll need the following:

• 2 large saucepans
• 6 x 500g preserving mason jars with rim-sealed lids
• Sieve or cheese cloth
• 1.6kgs ripe black grapes, with stems removed
• 50gms x pectin
• 7 cups white sugar
• Optional: Use a deep saucepan or Dutch oven saucepan for water bath bottling, about 10cms taller than height of mason jars

Directions:

1. Prepare the mason jars by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let jars sit in hot water until ready to fill.
2. Remove grapes from stems, wash thoroughly.
3. Place grapes and 1 ½ cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover for 10 minutes.
4. Strain water, leaving just the prepared grapes.
5. Extract the juice from the grapes using a sieve or cheese cloth, collecting the juice in a large saucepan. Discard the skins and pulp.
6. Stir pectin into grape juice and mix well.
7. Bring grape juice to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in sugar and bring back to a rolling boil for 1 minute or until sugar is completely dissolved.
9. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam on top and discard.
10. Carefully ladle the hot jelly into the hot jars, leaving 12 mls of space at the top. Wipe rims of mason jars, then cap with lids and bands to seal.
11. Let stand 24 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate.

Tip: Water bath bottling is required for long-term storage. To get a longer shelf life out of your jelly, visit www.healthycanning.com/resources-for-home-preserving-in-australia for a complete list of supplies and instructions.