Home-made Grape Jelly

HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

Indulging in a wobbly delight like jelly, or as our American friends call it, Jell-o, is a pure treat! Allow me to share a delightful recipe that not only guides you on extracting fresh grape juice at home but also transforms it into scrumptious jelly.

Plus, it's worth mentioning that this recipe is vegan-friendly, thanks to the use of agar agar!

Now, no need for a science degree here – as a rough estimate, a generous bunch of grapes, roughly 500 grams, will yield approximately 500 milliliters of luscious grape juice.

As a fun fact, did you know that jelly, in its various forms, has been enjoyed by cultures around the world for centuries? The ancient Egyptians were known to make a version of jelly using natural ingredients like honey and fruit juice, while the Chinese were crafting a similar treat as far back as the 4th century!

With this recipe, you can carry on a timeless tradition of savouring homemade grape jelly.

Bon Profit! Raquel x

Serves 4-8 (depending on the size of your jelly moulds)

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT

• 1 large bunch of grapes any colour (preferably seedless, but any grapes will do)
• 3/4 of a teaspoon of Agar Agar powder (if using flakes, you will need 1 and 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/4 cup water
• potato masher
• large bowl
• muslin (cheesecloth)/thin tea towel or a nut-milk bag
• 1 litre measuring jug
• spoon or whisk
• granulated sugar, optional (only if using)
• whatever container(s) or mould you want to set the jelly in

Part 1. Extract Juice

You can skip the whole juice extraction (Part 1. below) and simply ‘buy’ bottled grape juice to make the jelly from Part 2. It means you haven’t made something from scratch but I promise I won’t tell!

METHOD -if making juice from scratch for jelly

1. Remove grapes from stems and wash. Discard stems.
2. Place washed grapes into a saucepan with 1/4 cup of water.
3. Before putting saucepan on the stove top, squash grapes a little using a potato masher (or better still, your hands!).

• Hint: You’re looking to break the skins and squash some of the pulp, this will help release juice more quickly as the grapes heat.

1. Once mashed, place pot with grapes on stovetop – on a medium to high heat – and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, lower heat and let the grapes simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
3. Once again, using a potato masher (not your hands because the grape mixture will be very hot!), squash the grapes firmly for a few minutes in the pot to release as much of the juice as possible.
4. Set pot aside and leave mixture to cool to a manageable temperature, about 30 mins.
5. Meanwhile, set-up a large enough bowl with the cheesecloth (muslin) or thin tea towel laid over the top of it.
6. Once mixture has cooled, pour the entire contents into the bowl on top of the cloth. Gather up the ends of the cloth and twist to strain the juice through the cloth. The tighter you twist and squeeze, the more grape juice you will have. Once you have squeezed all the juice out, you can discard the grape solids left over inside the cloth.

Part 2. Make Jelly

METHOD

1. Pour the juice into the measuring jug. You need 480 ml of juice.Note: You should have more than enough juice, if not though, you can top up to 480 ml with some boiling water.
2. Pour the 480 mL of juice into a saucepan and put onto stove on low-medium heat.
3. Add the 3/4 teaspoon of Agar Agar powder to saucepan and stir or whisk until powder has dissolved.
4. ONLY if adding sugar, carefully taste juice at this point (warning liquid may be quite hot!). If juice is not sweet enough for you, you can add some sugar (1 tsp at a time) until you reach your desired sweetness. Keep stirring to ensure all sugar has dissolved.Note: I find the grape juice sweet enough, but you may want it sweeter.
5. Take pot off of heat and pour finished mixture into jelly mould(s) (whatever you are using).Hint: If you want to add a few halved grapes in the bottom of the mould(s) for added delight, do so now!
6. Let jelly set in fridge for at least 4-5 hours, if not overnight.