Concord Grape and Balsamic Jelly
with
Rosemary, Basil and Pink Peppercorns
3 2/3 cups home-made unsweetened grape juice
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar *or other specialty vinegar
1 cup sugar *or to taste
4 tsp calcium water
4 tsp Pomona's Pectin
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil
2 tbsp fresh finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place canning jars into the water, ensuring they are completely covered and boil for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave jars in the water until ready to use.
In a medium saucepan place juice and vinegar. Stir in calcuim water and bring to a rolling boil.
Mix sugar with pectin. Add to juice and whisk vigorously for 1-2 mins until pectin has dissolved. Turn off heat.
Remove jars from the water and place onto a towel.
Pour Jelly into sterilized jars and screw lids on. Place in the hot water, adding more water if needed to cover by about an inch. Bring water to a boil and continue to boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove jars with tongs and support with an oven mitt to place on the towel. Wipe excess water from the lid. **Do not tilt jars.
You should hear the centre of the lid pop down after a minute or two.
**Any jars where the lid does not pop down should be refrigerated and eaten within a week or so.
Makes:
10 x 125ml jars
or 5 x 250ml jars
To make your own juice place about 6 cups grapes and 2 cups water into a saucepan, cook for about 20 minutes, until grapes are a vibrant fuschia color and skins are bursting.
Pick out large stems and put through a food mill, or wait until it cools and blend well in a blender, then through a strainer pressing to get all the juice out. I don't worry about seeds as the straining process gets any pieces out. You can sweeten now, if you do don't add the sugar to the juice in the recipe. I like my juice for this to be a little thick and pulpy for this recipe - remember the skin and seeds contain valuable nutrients!
I love Pomona's Pectin! It is made from citrus which uses the calcium to complete the gelling process. Pomona's sets with very little sugar, and can be used with alternative sugars as well. The calcium to make the calcium water comes in the box along with a pouch of the pectin. There is also an instruction sheet to further explain the steps.
You can find Pomona's at most health food stores, or I have ordered it online at Amazon
