Grape Jam

 

I planted a concord grape vine three years ago. This year for the first time -- grapes!      Lots of grapes! 

About two weeks ago they started to ripen. Click to enlarge.

Now they are sweet and juicy. I made jam. There are 8 cups of grapes here. Squeeze each one and the green inside pops out of the skin. Chop the skins and simmer them with 1/4 cup of water for 10 minutes and they will soften. In a separate pot, bring the pulp to a boil then simmer over low heat until the grapes lose their shape-- about 10 minutes. Put the pulp through a food mill to remove the seeds. Mix the skins and the pulp. Add 3 cups of sugar. Add the juice of half a lemon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until it gels -- mine took about 10 minutes.

Behold. It's not clear like jelly. It has the consistency of apple butter.

And it is profoundly delicious.