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Canning with Mustang Grapes
M
aking jelly has been a fun hobby of mine for over 20 years. I love sharing jelly, and canning jellies is a straightforward process. Since Mustang grapes grow wild in many parts of Texas, they are a great place to start. You can find them found blanketing old fence lines, and climbing up trees and power lines along roadsides. They ripen as early as mid-June and can be picked through August and you’ll know a ripe berry from its thick skin and deep dark purple color. It is recommended to pick and handle them wearing gloves to protect your skin from the high acidity of the juice. As well, it is not recommended to eat them straight off the vine. This may sound like a negative, but in the world of jelly making, acidity levels are a positive in creating a beautiful firm jelly. My jelly recipe requires only three ingredients, including grapes you want to pick early in the season, and no pectin, which saves money. The key to not needing pectin is making sure that onefourth of the grapes are unripe; the firm green grapes growing alongside the ripe purple ones. Unripe grapes contain a high amount of natural pectin. I use scissors to cut them off the vine in bunches, which makes them last longer.
MAKE THE JUICE Remove stems and leaves, then rinse with clean water. Fill a thick deep pot half full of the grape combination (3/4 ripe, 1/4 unripe). This doesn’t have to be exact, it’s more of a guesstimate to your actual ratio of ripe to unripe grapes, but it is okay to guess or measure out. Fill the pot with grapes and enough water to cover them. 20
J U N E 2021 L IBER T Y HILL D IGES T
contributed by Emily Kane
Bring the water to a boil then lower the temperature to a simmer; this cooks the grapes. While grapes are cooking, use a potato masher to mash them. When done, grapes will look like a soup. Strain the juice. My preferred method is to use a few layers of cheesecloth over a strainer placed into a large bowl. I rest my strainer on a mug to elevate it and allow more space for the juice to filter into the bowl. Another way is to use a fine mesh strainer instead of cheesecloth. If you use a fine mesh strainer, you may need to strain the juice twice to filter out debris (grape skin, twig, seeds, etc.). Allow the cooked berries to strain. Cover in plastic wrap and leave on counter or place in fridge. Allowing to strain overnight allows you to harvest the most juice and the last bit will be thicker with a rich quality. Now that you have the juice, you make the jelly.
MAKING THE JELLY In a heavy pot, bring 5 cups of juice and 7 cups of sugar to a boil, stirring often. Reduce to medium to keep it to a boil and prevent it from boiling over. Note: At this point, if you were unable to use one-fourth unripe grapes, add one pack of pectin after the mixture reaches boiling point, allow it to boil for one minute and then remove from heat. The jelly is done when the temperature reaches 220°F, this can be checked by using a candy or jelly thermometer. If your recipe included unripe grapes, the surface and color of the jelly will have a smooth, dark look. Another way to tell when it is done is to cool some on a spoon and see how it drips off the spoon. When the jelly has jelled, a drop will hang on the spoon.
STORING THE JELLY If you know you are going to use it right away or gift to family and friends who will use it soon, there is no need to can it. Use a container with a lid and store in fridge. If you want to keep some year-round or gift it throughout the year, this is where canning your jelly comes in handy. The shelf life of canned jelly is over a year.
