pectin

When Life Gives You Muscadines…Make Jelly!!! (Duh.)

Sabrina Pflug | Peach and the Willow1 Comment

The last time I was at Gloucester Vineyards, it was the end of the Muscadine harvest.  The stately rows of grape leaves had begun to yellow, crisp and scorch; some falling from the vine;  exposing the last of the season’s most syrupy fruit to ripen and raisin in the Indian summer sun.  I consumed all the ripe grapes my stomach could bear…just standing there and “grazing” as we call it.  It was only when I could simply eat no more that my dad and I began picking fruit for my jelly making…about 40 lbs in all, I’d say; enough fruit for about 30 pints of jelly.  I know I’m biased…but there is no better jelly than Muscadine.  Don’t even try and sway me…nope…it’s the “end all- be all” of homemade jelly.  And just when you think you’ve reached the pinnacle of taste bud satisfaction with the perfect bite of homemade buttered biscuit smeared with Muscadine jelly, try cooking with it!…As in Muscadine Jelly Baked Ham!!!!  Eyes roll back, I tell you.  Eyes roll back…

muscadines
Black and Bronze Muscadines…washed and ready to hit the stove (or pop in your mouth!)
muscadines-cooking
Cooking the grapes releases the juice
muscadines-popping-and-releasing-juice
The grapes pop and break down when cooked on medium high heat…releasing their syrupy juice
straining-the-muscadine-juice
Strain the juice from the cooked grapes
muscadine-juice-with-pectin-and-sugar
Muscadine juice, sugar and pectin…back on the heat
rapid-boiling-point
Jelly is almost done when it reaches a rapid boil
muscadine-jelly
Voila!  The beautiful color comes from the muscadine skin…just those few black grapes thrown in provided this perfect pink!…no food color added!
jars-of-muscadine-heaven
Plenty  Muscadine Jelly to share!
the-perfect-mascadine-jelly-bite
One decadent bite!  A flakey, buttery, buttermilk biscuit glistening with Muscadine Jelly

 

Interested in making your own stash of Muscadine Jelly but can’t find the fruit locally?  Send me a message and I’ll tell you how you can have muscadines sent to your doorstep next season.  Cheers!!!