Muscadine, or muscadine grapes, is an endemic fruit species of North America. You can come across muscadine grapes in many places across North America, ranging from Florida to the New Jersey coast and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. They grow in colors such as bronze, green, yellow, and dark purple.
Although referred to as grapes and appear like large grapes, muscadines belong to the berry family. They don’t form bunches, and they grow in small clusters. Muscadines have thick skin, which you can peel easily, and the fruit has seeds at the center. They also have a tart taste resembling berries.
Muscadines generally become ripe in late summer and early fall, and you can enjoy this flavorful and aromatic fruit until November in many places in North America. Muscadines are used for making wine and juice. You can use them in baking pies and cakes. Another muscadine specialty is undoubtedly jelly. This southern delicacy is a sought-after breakfast item, especially when accompanied by butter biscuits. Our muscadine jelly recipe provides everything you need to know about this specialty.
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Ingredients
- Muscadine grapes — 3 ½ pounds
- Water — 1 ½ cups
- Pectin — 1 package, ¾ oz.
- Granulated sugar — 6 cups
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp., freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Wash the muscadines thoroughly and remove the stems. Put them in a large stock pot with water.
- Heat on top of the stove on medium. Using a potato masher, frequently mash the fruit. After it reaches boiling point, cook it for another 10 minutes.
- Place a strainer cloth in another large pot. Transfer the hot mashed fruit juice to the strainer cloth. Apply pressure to get out all the juice.
- Put the pot with the muscadine juice on the stove and heat on medium-low heat. Add the pectin, and with a hand whisk make sure it completely dissolves.
- Add the sugar and lemon juice to the pot, and stirring frequently make sure the sugar completely dissolves. When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low. Occasionally stirring, cook for 10 more minutes.
- Sterilize the jars and the lids while waiting. For this, boil some water in a large pot. Using tongs, put the jars, canning lids, and rings in boiling water. Boil them for 10 minutes. Take the jars and lids out of the water and transfer them onto a kitchen cloth.
- Divide the jelly into sterilized jars using a canning funnel. Close the lid and screw it tightly.
- For pasteurization, place a metal trivet at the bottom of a stock pot large enough to hold all the jars. Pour water into it and heat on the cooktop. Transfer the mason jars filled with jelly into the pot. Make sure the water is approximately two-three inches above the jars. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Take the jars out of the pot carefully and let them rest at room temperature for 24 hours without changing their place.
Substitutions
- Pectin — Although it is rare, some people are intolerant to pectin. If that is the case, you can omit this ingredient altogether. Recipes without pectin call for a longer time of cooking, sometimes about an hour. You also need to avoid using very ripe muscadines since ripe fruit has less pectin. Make sure at least half one-third of the fruit you use is under-ripe.
- Granulated sugar — You can replace granulated sugar with the same amount of cane sugar.
Variations
- Make it effortless — You can make the jelly by using store-bought muscadine juice for an easy version. The amount for this recipe is five cups of muscadine juice.
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Potato masher
- 4 large stock pots
- Stove
- Straining cloth
- Kitchen cloth
- Hand whisk
- Mason jars
- Canning lids
- Canning rings
- Canning funnel
- Metal trivet
- Tongs
Storage
- You can store muscadine jelly in a kitchen cabinet for up to a year, provided the jar is sealed correctly. Once you open the jar and you will not consume all the content, the jelly should be stored in the refrigerator. You can keep the remaining jelly in the fridge for up to a week in a tight-lid jar.
Pro Tips
- If you cut some of the muscadine grapes into half before cooking, it will be easier to smash.
- Muscadine jelly has a long shelf life. It is best to label this kind of food before storage to remember the production date.
Our Muscadine Jelly Recipe
Embark on a heavenly journey with our muscadine jelly recipe. Relish divine flavors that soothe your soul. Don't miss out!
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Potato masher
- 4 large stock pots
- Stove
- Straining cloth
- Kitchen cloth
- Hand whisk
- Mason jars
- Canning lids
- Canning rings
- Canning funnel
- Metal trivet
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds muscadine grapes
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 package pectin ¾ oz.
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Wash the muscadines thoroughly and remove the stems. Put them in a large stock pot with water.
- Heat on top of the stove on medium. Using a potato masher, frequently mash the fruit. After it reaches boiling point, cook it for another 10 minutes.
- Place a strainer cloth in another large pot. Transfer the hot mashed fruit juice to the strainer cloth. Apply pressure to get out all the juice.
- Put the pot with the muscadine juice on the stove and heat on medium-low heat. Add the pectin, and with a hand whisk make sure it completely dissolves.
- Add the sugar and lemon juice to the pot, and stirring frequently make sure the sugar completely dissolves. When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low. Occasionally stirring, cook for 10 more minutes.
- Sterilize the jars and the lids while waiting. For this, boil some water in a large pot. Using tongs, put the jars, canning lids, and rings in boiling water. Boil them for 10 minutes. Take the jars and lids out of the water and transfer them onto a kitchen cloth.
- Divide the jelly into sterilized jars using a canning funnel. Close the lid and screw it tightly.
- For pasteurization, place a metal trivet at the bottom of a stock pot large enough to hold all the jars. Pour water into it and heat on the cooktop. Transfer the mason jars filled with jelly into the pot. Make sure the water is approximately two-three inches above the jars. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Take the jars out of the pot carefully and let them rest at room temperature for 24 hours without changing their place.
Video
Notes
- If you cut some of the muscadine grapes into half before cooking, it will be easier to smash.
- Muscadine jelly has a long shelf life. It is best to label this kind of food before storage to remember the production date.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Our Muscadine Jelly Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
711
% Daily Value*
Fat
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
0.01
g
0
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.01
g
Sodium
18
mg
1
%
Potassium
408
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
183
g
61
%
Fiber
8
g
33
%
Sugar
150
g
167
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
133
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
77
mg
8
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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