Great Grapes! Bumper Crop of Three Varieties Makes for Tasty Jelly

I'm starting to get a bit nervous that Farmer Bob is obsessed with making something out of everything. I suppose that's far better than making something out of nothing (more my style). Or making mountains out of molehills (but are they gluten-free?).

Bob was excited about his grape crop this summer, the best since he planted them seven or eight years ago. After building a beautiful arbor over our picnic/barbecue area, he purchased three varieties of grape plants from Bayview Farm & Garden. Thanks to a wonderful summer here in the Pacific Northwest, the grapes were colorful and abundant, and ripe for the picking as autumn approached. 

Farmer Bob's Grape Jelly

"Now you'll have grape jelly all winter long!"

Ingredients

1 pkg. Sure-Jell

3-1/2 lbs. grapes (enough to render 5 cups juice)

7 cups sugar

Butter

Instructions

De-stem grapes, place in pot and mash.

Add 1-1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.

Cover and let simmer 10 minutes.

Strain mixture through cheesecloth into pan.

Tie cheese cloth at top and hang over pan to get all juice out.

Measure exactly 5 cups (add up to 1/2 cup water if needed).

Add Sure-Jell to juice plus 1/2 Tbsp. butter. Bring to rolling boil.

Add sugar, bring back to a "really" rolling boil. Let boil one minute exactly.

Fill jars with liquid up to 1/2" from top.

Place sterilized lids on top of jars, tighten with screw rings. 

Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. 

Grape Jelly Play-by-Play Highlights | Photos by Sue Frause