Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Homemade Muscadine Jelly



Last year I made homemade jelly for the first time.  I was so proud of myself because I had never "put-up" anything before.  Lucky for me, I have a great friend, Diane, who knows how to do all of these things!!  She wrote down exactly what I needed to do and I did it :-)  Seth was hooked!!  Now he only wants MY jelly on his PB& J sandwiches.  


We still had one or two jars left from last year, but it is time to make jelly again.  I wanted to pick muscadines from a local farm; however, it was closed.  Not a problem though because our local Walmart sells muscadines (in the grape family) by the quart.  I picked up two quarts, a bag of sugar, one box of Sure-Gel and new lids for my jars and I was ready to begin.  I have to tell you that making homemade jelly just makes me feel like such a homemaker!!  I love it! 


Here is the perfect recipe for Muscadine Jelly (in Diane's words):

 Wash two quarts of fresh muscadines.
 Cover (just barely) with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until they are "squishable".  (Are you impressed with the technical term?)

Using a potato masher, "squish" the muscadines. 
Drain the "smushed" muscadines in a colander - Reserve the liquid in a mixing bowl.  
Next, strain the reserved liquid through cheesecloth 
or very small mesh strainer.  

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil to pre-heat the jars prior to filling with jelly.

Then.... (I forgot to take a picture of this step)

Pour 5 cups of strained muscadine juice in a large pot with one box of Suregel and one tablespoon of butter.    (If you don't have five cups, you can add water to make five cups.) Bring to a rolling boil.

After the juice, Suregel and margarine have been brought to a roiling boil, add seven cups of sugar and bring the mixture back to a roiling boil.  Cook for ONE minute.  

After boiling for one minute, remove from heat and skim off any foam. 
Carefully remove a heated jar from the boiling water. 
Fill the jars with jelly.  Wipe the rim of jelly jars with a clean damp cloth.   Place lid on jars, close tightly and invert jars on a cloth.  

After all the jars are filled, turn the jars right side up.  Listen for the little "pop" that lets you know the jar has sealed properly. 


And there you have it - delicious homemade jelly that is just screaming for a hot buttered biscuit! 

How about adding a ribbon and giving a jar as a happy for a special friend or teacher?  It is the perfect addition to a fall gift basket!

Do you make jams or jellies?  Which one is your very favorite?  

Today I am linking to the following parties:

Wow Us Wednesdays at 

Savvy  Homemade Monday @ http://www.homesavvyatoz.com

We Did It Wednesday @ http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/

Come and join the fun!!! 









3 comments:

  1. Yum - it does sound delicious. It looks so pretty, too. I used to make grape jelly and blackberry jam, but that was years ago.

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  2. Yum! I love making jelly. Hubby and I usually do it together.

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  3. Looks terrific Lisa! I enjoy reading your blog and getting lots of ideas for projects.

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