Classic Concord Grape Jam Recipe

Grape jelly is something that you can find in any supermarket and little tubs of the stuff are a familiar sight at breakfast restaurants and diners, but grape jam isn't quite as common. If you'd like to try making it yourself, though, recipe developer Tanika Douglas notes that "The process is simple, and is a fantastic way to use leftover Concord Grapes." She also points out that this jam can make for a great gift.

"The jam," Douglas tells us, "has a rich, deep grape flavor that is the perfect balance of sweet and tart" and she also feels that "the simple addition of salt balances the sweetness of the jam very nicely." She tells us she enjoys it on toast at breakfast time, but says it also works nicely with cheese for an afternoon treat. You might like to use it in baking, as well, since it would make a perfect filling for cakes, cookies, and homemade jam doughnuts. In fact, you could even buck tradition and make a peanut butter and grape jam sandwich.

This jam starts off with Concord grapes, but in addition to those, you just need a few more simple ingredients: water, lemon juice, salt, and superfine sugar. No superfine sugar on hand? That's okay, you can just give granulated sugar a quick spin in the food processor.

Pick the stems off the grapes — these you can toss (or compost). Now separate the grapes from their skins (Douglas suggests gently squeezing them), but do not throw away the skins as those will be helping to lend color and texture to the jam.

Put the peeled grapes in a pot and cook them over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, at the end of which time the flesh should have broken down. Strain the pulp to remove the seeds, then return it to the pot seed-free.

Purée the grape skins in the blender with ¼ cup water, then add this liquid to the grape pulp along with the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Once the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the grape jam for from 34 to 45 minutes until it thickens up, stirring it every now and then.

Douglas suggests a way to check to see if the jam is done. She says to put a small plate in the freezer for 5 minutes, then to spoon a small amount of jam onto the chilled plate and run your finger through it. "If the two sides of jam remain parted and don't flow back into each other," she says, "then the jam is ready."

When the jam is thick enough, skim off the foam from the top, then store it in clean jars. You should have about 6 cups of jam in all, so this would be about 6 half-pints or 3 pints. If you keep the jam in the refrigerator it should last for about a month, but you can always keep it in the freezer in airtight plastic containers for longer storage.

Yet another option you have, should you own the proper setup for home canning, is to process the jam in a water bath. Foods that have been canned safely can be stored at room temperature for up to a year, but you will need to be sure to follow all of the manufacturer's directions and be scrupulous about sterilizing all of your equipment in order to make sure that your home-canned jam remains bacteria-free.