A Taste of Summer

The Best Pectin-Free Concord Grape Jam

I don't have anything against using pectin when making preserves.  It shortens the cook time so those delicate summer fruits can retain some of their fresh beauty.  But there's always something in the back of my mind that feels like it's cheating. It's not the old world way of doing things.  I like to make preserves without any additives whenever possible, but I will never mess with the basics of  a  recipe.  It's like baking... you can adjust the odd spice or seasoning here or there, but veer to far and you've got a soupy mess instead of jam.  So when my grandma gave me her canning recipe book I was in heaven!  I can't find a date on it anywhere, but it was given out by the Edmonton gas company (Northwest Utilities Ltd.) to customers. The recipe inside for Grape Jam is the best I've ever made... and appeals to the purist in me!

Grape Jam
5 cups concord grapes, stemmed and washed
21/2 cups sugar

1. Squish the pulp out of the skins, place the pulp in a large pot and the skins in a medium one.  Add enough water to the skins just to cover, and cook on medium heat for 15min.  Cook the pulp at the same time, until soft.  The pulp should take about 10 mins.  
2. Run the pulp through a fine mesh strainer to eliminate all of the seeds
   
3. Combine the two mixtures into a large pot. (I just washed out the pulp pot and did everything in there).Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
   
4. Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil that can not be stirred down.  (this is why you use a large pot.  The mixture foams up quite high and it can be a disaster if your pot is too small).  Continue to boil until you reach jam consistency.   Mine took about 15mins at the hard boil.  *Make sure you stir often, or you will scorch you jam and it will taste burnt*
   
5. Pack in sterilized jars and boil in a water bath canner for 10 min.  Allow to cool in a draft free area.  Any jars that did not seal must be put in the fridge