Muscadine Jam is a sweet and tangy jam made with the muscadine grapes. Similar to concord grape jam, but not as sweet. It is a delicious condiment that goes great on biscuits or toast, and makes a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️ You get 7 half-pints jars of delicious sweet jam!
✔️ There is no need for added pectin! The lemon does the work of thickening the jam.
✔️ The muscadine grape lends a powerful grape flavor to the sweet and tangy jam.
🥘 Ingredients
Muscadine Grapes
Lemon
Sugar
🔪 Instructions
- Remove the pulp from the grape skin. Place pulp, including the grape seeds, in a large pot and grape skins in a separate bowl.
- Place the grape skins in a heavy duty blender and blend until skins are finely ground. Transfer to a large saucepan.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the grape pulps to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until pulp breaks down.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the grape skins to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until skins have softened. Add a little water if needed to keep the skin mixture moist (I did not need the water).
- Remove the grape pulps from the cooktop and transfer pulp to a sieve placed over top of a large bowl. Stir the pulp mixture. The grape fibers and seeds will stay in the sieve, while the pulp juice will go into a bowl.
- Return the grape pulp juice to a large stockpot. Set aside.
- Strain the grape skin mixture if desired (not required).
- Add the grape skin mixture, lemon juice, and lemon rind to the grape pulp juice. Stir to combine. Add the sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Place the grape mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until jam has thickened.
- Transfer to jars and seal. Store in refrigerator.
🥄 Equipment
Blender: I used my Nutribullet, but a food processor or heavy duty blender can also be used.
Large pots: you will need two of these for cooking the grape pulp and skins separately.
Whisk: to mix the jam while it is simmering
Flathead wooden spoon: for stirring the jam and scraping the bottom of the pot while the jam is cooking
Funnel: used for transferring the jam into the jar without jam running outside of the mouth of the jar.
Measuring cup: I use a 1 cup measure, which is all you need to fill a half pint jar.
7 half pint jars with lids
🥫Storage
7 pints of jam for my family is a small batch recipe, so I stored my jam in pint jars in the refrigerator as I have room for it. As long as the jars are sealed and not opened, the jam can last in the fridge up to 6 months, maybe longer.
Jam can also be placed in freezer safe containers kept in the freezer no longer than a year.
You can also can the jam by sterilizing the jars and lids and placing the hot jam in the jars, making sure to leave ½ inch headspace. Wipe the lip of the jar and place seal and cap on the jam. Place the jars in a boiling water bath canner and process for 10 minutes.
📖 Variations
- Reduce to 5 cups of sugar for a less sweet jam.
- Press the cooked skins through a sieve or food mill to remove more of the grape skin pieces. The jam will have less bulk to it and closer to muscadine jelly. I did this for my 2nd batch and preferred how it turned out over the first batch with all of the blended grape skin in the jam.
💭 Tips
- Allow for at least 3 hours of your time to make this grape jam. It takes at least 30 minutes to remove the pulp from the grape skins and then you will need 1-½ to 2 hours simmer time for the jam.
📚 Related Recipes
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I love to keep this Apple Pie Spice on hand.
You can make your own Roasted Red Peppers right at home for a fraction of the cost!
Everyone loves these Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Icing.
🍽 Serve with...
Serve jam on toast or biscuits. It also makes a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
🏫 The last word
I grew up watching my mom make concord grape jelly. It was one of my favorite condiments for toast and sandwiches, but I never attempted to make it because jelly seemed to be too much work. Concord grapes don't grow in the south, where I now live, so I went with the popular muscadine grape grown in warmer climates.
When I moved to North Carolina, I was curious enough to go grape picking to see what the Muscadines were all about. It is a sweet grape with a musky aroma. They have thick skins and to me seem similar to a concord grape, in the fact that the insides of the grapes are sour but the juice on the inside of the skin is sweet.
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📖 Recipe
Muscadine Jam
Equipment
- 7 jam jars with seal and caps
- large stockpot
- Large saucepan
- funnel
- sieve
- lemon juicer
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Ingredients
- 5 pounds muscadine grapes
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 1 medium lemon
Instructions
- Remove the pulp from the grape skin. Place pulp, including the grape seeds, in large stockpot and grape skins in a large bowl.
- Place the grape skins in a heavy duty blender and blend until skins are finely ground. Transfer to a large saucepan.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the grape pulps to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until pulp breaks down.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the grape skins to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until skins have softened.
- Remove the grap pulps from the cooktop and transfer pulp to a sieve placed over top of a large bowl. Stir the pulp mixture. The grape fibers and seeds will stay in the sieve, while the pulp juice will go into a bowl.
- Return the grape pulp juice to a large stockpot. Set aside.
- Strain the grape skin mixture if desired (not required).
- Add the grape skin mixture, lemon juice, and lemon rind to the grape pulp juice. Stir to combine. Add the sugar and stir until sugar has dissolved.
- Place the grape mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until jam has thickened.
- Transfer to jars and seal. Store in refrigerator.
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