Wondering what to do with your homemade grape juice? Make grape jelly of course! It is a classic kid favorite that is easy to make and perfect for your pb&j!
Growing up we ate one flavor of jelly.
Grape.
That’s it.
At home. Grape. In a restaurant. Grape. On toast. Grape. On a sandwich. Grape.
That was really all we knew and all we wanted.
No jelly here.
Want to know something? I have never bought grape jelly for my kids. Most grape jellies are filled with high fructose corn syrup. Not to mention the texture kind of grosses me out now.
But homemade grape jelly – that is a whole different story. Especially when it comes from juice you made yourself!
No pectin. No canning.
The unique thing about my grape jelly is that I skip the pectin and the canning.
Most pectin contains dextrose. That’s just sugar, right? Well, yes, sort of.
But it usually comes from corn. My son is allergic to corn. So I don’t use pectin.
Instead I use gelatin and then freeze the jelly. That turns this into such a simple task. It takes about five minutes to make a whole batch of jelly.
This was my own experiment with creating an easy and allergen friendly grape jelly.
No complaints.
The consensus from my family? Great! Everyone loves it. Even the adults that grew up with more traditional jelly (both homemade and store bought).
My kids rave about it and keep asking for it on their bread.
We have been enjoying it on toast and on sunbutter and jelly sandwiches. I personally love it on sourdough bread. The contrast between the sour and sweet is delicious.
No fears.
Are you intimidated by the idea of making your own grape jelly? Set those fears aside. This pectin free concord grape jelly is so easy!
Use your homemade grape juice or quality organic grape juice. Add some grass-fed gelatin and you’re minutes away from homemade grape jelly.
Your kids will love it, and you’ll feel good about what they’re eating. No more high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and citric acid for breakfast. Just whole, simple ingredients.
Once you get the freezer stocked with grape jelly grab some blueberry juice to make blueberry jelly! It’s another great addition to your morning eggs and toast.
- 4 cups unsweetened concord grape juice
- 3 cups organic cane sugar
- 6 1/2 tsp. grass-fed gelatin
- In a medium saucepan combine the juice and sugar. Whisk.
- Slowly pour in the gelatin and whisk.
- Let sit one minute.
- Turn on heat to medium/low.
- Slowly whisk until the mixture is warm and the sugar and gelatin are dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Fill half pint glass jars, leaving 1 inch of head space.
- Put a lid on the jars and refrigerate until fully gelled, at least 8 hours.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
- You may need to adjust the sweetness depending on the sweetness of the juice and your taste.
- You can increase the gelatin to 8 Tbsp. and pour the whole batch into molds or a glass pan to make grape gummies.
In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. It will not change the cost of any products or services for you.
This post is linked to Savoring Saturdays.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at Savoring Saturdays! 🙂
You said about pectin “But it usually comes from corn. My son is allergic to corn. So I don’t use pectin.’ Pectin typically comes from apples or citrus. My degree is in dietetics and my daughter is allergic to apples and therefore pectin.
Yes, it is true that some commercial pectin is made from the pomace of fruit. But some is also made from corn. It’s hard to know the source.