Concord Grape Jam
makes about 5 cups
4 lbs. Concord, wild, or other seeded purple grapes
½ cup water
1 cup raw sugar (organic turbinado)
Pinch of sea salt
Rinse grapes, stem them, then rinse again. Peel grapes by pinching each one and allowing the grape innards to plop out into a medium stockpot or Dutch oven. Keep the grape skins in a separate bowl.
Bring the grape innards and any juice to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer until grapes begin to disintegrate, releasing seeds, about 10 minutes. Pour into the bowl of a food mill. Rinse the stockpot, add grape skins and 1/2 cup of water, and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer grape skins, partially covered, until soft and breaking down, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, pass grape innards through the food mill; discard seeds. Add grape pulp, sugar, and salt to the grape skins. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then continue to cook at a brisk boil, lowering heat if jam begins to stick, until the gel stage (a spoonful of jam will form a wrinkly set on a frozen plate).
Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Pass a wooden utensil along the sides of the jars to remove any bubbles, wipe rims, affix lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Find local concord grapes from Backyard Orchard, Hidden Valley Orchard, or Madison’s at Findlay Market
Annette is a writer, teacher, and author of two memoirs, I’ll Be in the Car and I’ll Have Some of Yours. She is a second-generation Italian-American with roots in Calabria and Abruzzo. As a resident of Over-the-Rhine, she’s lucky enough to walk to Findlay Market twice in a day whenever she forgets an ingredient. Visit annettejwick.com to learn more.
