Dark, sweet, and tart, with a flavor like the soul of a grape. A simple wild grape jelly recipe is the perfect thing to make with wild grape juice if you're new to foraging, or if you just have a grape vine on your property. It's easy to make, but there's a couple thing to know and a few decisions to consider before giving it a shot. Read on and I'll explain.
How to Make Jelly from Wild Grapes
The first thing to do is harvest grapes when they're ripe, typically around Sept for me in Minnesota. I'm harvesting Vitis riparia, or wild river grapes, but you can use this recipe with any wild grape juice. Summer grapes (Vitis aestivalis), Fox Grapes and Oregon Grapes are other wild varieties that could also be used.
Harvest and Juice the Grapes
Make the Jelly
Set tests ensure you know the jelly will set and are a learned skill. Dropped on a plate over a bowl of ice, the mixture should not run like water, but should hold its shape and look wrinkled after a second or two. It should also look wavy on the spoon and drip off in slow strands.
Other Things to Make with Wild Grapes
- Naturally Pickled Grape Leaves (Lacto-Fermented)
- Vegetarian Grape Leaf Rolls (Dolmas or Dolmades)
- Homemade Saba (Grape Juice Reduction)
Homemade Wild Grape Jelly
Classic jelly made from wild grapes has a rich, deep grape flavor and is one of the best things to make with your harvest. Makes 7 cups or half pint jars.
Servings: 80 servings
Calories: 46kcal
Cost: 5
Equipment
- Large, heavy bottomed pot (2 gallon capacity, at least 10 inches wide.) you can use a 1 gallon size pot for a half batch, the wider the better.
- Strainer
- Cheesecloth
- Potato masher
- Canning jars with lids
Ingredients
- 32 oz (4 cups) wild grape juice (you’ll need about 5 lbs of grapes)
- 1 cup water
- 4 teaspoons powdered apple pectin or use liquid pectin like Sure-jell
- 28 oz (4 cups) sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or from concentrate
- ½ tsp unsalted butter to reduce foam
Instructions
Harvest the grapes
- Remove the grapes from the vine in whole clusters using a scissors.
Juice the Grapes
- Put the grapes in a large pot and mash them.
- Add the water so the grapes are nearly covered. If your grapes are larger than Vitis riparia, or you're using a steam juicer you may not need much water, if any. Bring the pot to a simmer cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Strain the grape juice while still warm through cheesecloth, squeezing out the excess. Save scrap for making wild grape vinegar.
Make the Jelly
- Put small metal pie plate or other thin surface over a bowl of ice for a set test.
- Mix the pectin and sugar. Whisk the grape juice and sugar mixture, add the butter, bring to a rolling boil on high heat and until it starts to hover around 220F, skimming off any foam. Do not turn the heat down while cooking. If the jelly threatens to overflow your pot is too small.
Set Tests
- Here’s where the intuition comes in. Spoon a ½ teaspoon of jelly into the chilled metal bowl to test the set, if it holds it’s shape around the edge and doesn't run like water anymore it’s ready, if not, continue cooking a bit. Drips off of the spoon should hesitate to fall, which is known as sheeting.
- The sweet spot for me is usually right after the jelly hits about 220F, or a little past, around 222-223F. When the jelly holds it's shape dropped on a chilled plate, turn off the heat and beat in the lemon juice.
Storing
- Pour the jelly into sterilized pint or half pint jars screw on the lids. Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Sometimes I don't waterbath can them as they're high in acid and very safe.
Video
Notes
Jelly Didn't Set
Pour the jelly back into the pot, add an additional ½ cup water and 2 additional teaspoons of powdered pectin mixed with ½ cup water. Bring it back to a rolling boil, do set tests again and repeat the process.
Pectin
I use Cuisine Tech brand, but your favorite pectin should work, just don’t use pectin that contain sugar or dextrose, which has an off flavor.
Tartaric Acid
If you have time, allow the juice to settle overnight and pour it into a fresh jar, leaving any tartaric acid on the bottom. This is optional.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 0.04g | Fat: 0.05g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.04mg
Bo
re: putting butter/oil in jelly for the foam, have you ever had issues with it affecting the taste months down the line? I read online that it seems to degrade the overall flavor of the jelly if left long enough (less than a year it's implied)
Alan Bergo
I haven't had issues. It's such a miniscule amount.
Jacque S Sheets
is lemon juice essential or can I skip it? I don't have any on hand so a trip to the store would be required
Alan Bergo
Lemon juice or citric acid, yes. It helps to make the pectin set.
Erin
Really good.
Alan Bergo
Thanks Erin
Asruh Warner
Can I juice my grapes first with my juicer or is cooking with the skin beneficial to the process?
Alan Bergo
You can certainly juice your grapes.
Sandra
Maybe the best jelly ever!! Tasted the juice I thought it would be too tart but it's pefect. I used Pomona's pectin.
Vee
Really enjoyed making my grape jelly for the first time. It looks amazing. Took a while to get the consistency right but I finally got it!!! Proud moment 🙂 I haven't tried it yet but I got it in the jars. So I'll try it tomorrow. I do have one question, I couldn't find the instruction for the lemon juice so I put it in as it started boiling and then I noticed the instruction when it was too late. Is that an issue?
Alan Bergo
Hey there. Glad the jelly worked for you it’s a great skill to know. Nbd about the lemon juice, grapes are pretty trustworthy. Some fruits that are extremely high in pectin (persimmons) could seize immediately if citrus is added at the beginning of cooking.
Veronika
If I'm using liquid pectin do I use a full pouch or just 4 teaspoons?
Alan Bergo
You will follow the directions on the package for using liquid pectin.
Nora
My jelly also didn't set I forgot to put the lemon juice in it also I forgot to put the jelly in a wash bath for 10 is this why it didn't set
Alan Bergo
Hi Nora. Don't give up! Jelly is a learned skill. The lemon juice is important here as it reacts with the pectin. You can also use citric acid and it works well too. Water bath canning doesn't help the jelly set, it just makes it shelf stable to store in a pantry. I've added some extra notes and tried to make sure the recipe reads as clear as possible here. Bottom line is that you can save the jelly, and I had to do it with my elderberry jelly this week. If you're using powdered pectin like I do, put the jelly back in the pot, mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tsp more pectin, mix, bring to a rolling boil without turning down the heat and make sure the thermometer gets to 220F. The most important thing is to do set tests, and I took an hour this morning to make a larger infographic image I've put in the step-by-step walkthrough to help. The jelly needs to hold it's shape on a thin plate or tray over ice, or a frozen metal pie dish, etc. It should also hesitate to drip from the spoon and start to bead. I'm here if you have any more questions-even I still have issues sometimes. I spent $500 dollars on elderberries for my jelly, and had to do it twice this week, if it's any consolation 🙂
Sheri
I used a steamer juicer to make juice from Concord grapes. Do I need to mix it with water before I make Jelly? Do I need to strain it with cheese cloth?
Alan Bergo
No that will make a great jelly all by itself.
Charlotte Marshall
What is the easiest way to get the foam stuff off the top of the jelly before you put it in the jars.
Alan Bergo
Hi Charlotte. The foam won’t be visible in the finished jelly. You can add 1/2 tsp of butter to the jelly as it cooks.
Brad
What should I do if I added to much water when making the juice? Can I reduce the juice that I have?
Alan Bergo
Yes you can reduce it that’ll work fine it’s getting cooked anyway.
Brad
I did have trouble with the first batch setting. Am thinking it’s because of to much water?
Alan Bergo
Yes with the amount of pectin I add it should work fine. Did you make sure to do set tests?If I’m ever nervous or it’s my first time making jelly from a fruit I always make sure to do the set tests. Don’t feel bad it’s part of the learning curve. If you want ideas for how to try and fix or repurpose the jelly I can send a list here lmk.
brenda
Where the text and recipe say 125°, should that be 225°?
Alan Bergo
Yes! Thanks for letting me know, I adjusted it.
Jeanette Lawton
Hi! Can I process the grapes for the juice, and then freeze the juice for later, as the quantity of the harvest comes in?
Alan Bergo
Hey Jeanette absolutely. I’m doing the same thing with elderberries today. Just make sure not to skip the pectin.
Mikayla
How long are these shelf stable for?
Alan Bergo
I found a jar of this the other year and it was 5 years old and perfectly fine. I’d imagine people could potentially dig jars up as artifacts and eat it. It’s stable stuff.
Kim
How much lemon juice ?
Alan Bergo
Thanks Kim. 2 teaspoons is ample.
Jennifer
Hi, if i only have a handful of grapes and making my first jelly, can you then eat it right away and store in fridge for a few days, and skip the canning jarring process of the recipe all together?
Alan Bergo
Yes of course
Susan
Yes my question is When? I’ve read and watched video- when do I put in lemon juice- at boil?
Alan Bergo
Hi Susan! Just like it says in the recipe, when the jelly hits 225 F you add the lemon juice, then pour it into jars.