Is there anything better than Jelly? Let me be a little more specific- is there anything better than Concord Grape Jelly!?!

Grape jelly is one-third of the classic All-American staple sandwich, Peanut Butter and Jelly! And guess what-it taste’s SO much better when it’s homemade!

The best thing about making grape jelly- it’s so easy and quick to whip out 6 or 8 jars (depending on size)

So if you would like to give a try at canning your own grape jelly, read on! And also, be quick about it if you are reading this post while its new-concord grape season doesn’t last long!

So the first thing you are going to need is the main ingredient in jelly, concord grapes.

Concord grapes don’t look like the typical grapes you buy year-round in the grocery store. They are a deep purple with a thick skin and crunchy seeds.

While all grapes can be good for eating as is or even making wine; concord grapes are what makeup grape juice and grape jelly.

The History of Concord Grapes:

You probably aren’t here to learn all about concord grapes, but if you are interested I am going to give you the lowdown-if not…just keep scrollin’ 😉

Concord Grapes were first grown in Concord, Massachusetts in 1849. But it wasn’t until 1869 that Dr. Thomas Welch made the first-ever grape juice with grapes outside of his home in Concord.

Grape jelly became a thing in 1918 when Welch was commissioned to make “grapelade”as it was called back then for the soldiers in WWI. Welch added grape jelly to its retail line in 1923 after it became so popular with the men returning from war.

The infamous pb&j also came about during the war. In a need to get soldiers more protein in their rations, peanut butter was added. Along the way, soldiers began combining their rations of jelly and peanut butter onto their bread!







I am lucky enough to live right around Lake Erie, a popular growing region of Concord Grapes. I’m even luckier that my Aunt happens to have acres of grape vineyards right in her back yard! Every year my mom picks grapes to make about a year’s worth of jelly for herself along with me and the girls.

This year we decided to tag along on grape picking and learn to make the jelly so I could share this recipe with you!

The instructions are on the box of SureJell you will need, but my mom does a bit of a variation to the recipe.

Concord Grape Jelly

Gulf wax

Canning jars

3-3 1/2 pounds Concord Grapes

Sure-Jell fruit pectin: powder version (usually with canning supplies in grocery stores)

7 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon butter

Remove all stems and wash the grapes off

Crush the grapes in a large pot with a potato masher

Start heating the wax in a double boiler over low heat so that it’s melted and ready by the time the jelly is ready.

Add 1 and 1/2 cups water to the pot. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the jelly strainer (I love ones like this) and slowly press the juice back into the stockpot.

Add the SureJell pectin and butter into the pot and return to a rolling boil. Add the sugar and bring back to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Pour into jars.

Fill jars almost full- leave just a small room for the wax. The wax can be poured on top of the jelly right away. Let it sit until cool before putting lids on.

If you can’t get your hands on Concord grapes you can still make homemade jelly with frozen grape juice. I’ve never done this myself, but the instructions for this procedure are also on the SureJell box.

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