Flight of the Concord

I don’t know about you but whenever I taste grape juice, grape jelly or even grape bubble gum, I think of concord grapes. Whenever I eat concord grapes I think of grape jelly and all things flavoured grape! They have a flavour that is all their own, kind of musky, but so sweet and tart at the same time. I like they way they slip from their skins when I pop them in my mouth, the inside being the sweet part, but then if you bit down or chew the skin you get the tart flavour which balances the sweet taste so well. I like to vary the amount I chew the skins to create different taste sensations in my mouth as I graze through my bunch, bowl or basket of those tiny little purple gems.

The scent of these grapes also draws me. As soon as I hit the produce section of the grocery store, in the fall which is the only time they are available, I smell them before any other fruit. Perhaps it’s their unique ‘purple’ scent, or maybe it’s the memories their aroma invokes within me that draws me back to them year after year. My first encounter with concord grapes was ‘harvesting’ them from our neighbours’ yard when I was quite young. My brothers, friends and I would sleep outside during those hot summer nights, in tents, on the porch or under the stars, but sometime during the night we would sneak off to explore the various gardens of our neighbourhood. The places that always drew me back were those that had vines of concord grapes growing along the fences. I wonder if the owners missed those grapes as much as I enjoyed eating them!

I bought a small basket of them the other day but when I popped those first few in my mouth and thought of grape jelly, I knew I had to make some so I would have that taste later when those luscious grapes were no longer on the produce shelves. Of course I was back at the market next day to buy some more, taking advantage of their limited season. A few days later they were gone, eaten by people who are drawn to them, or enjoy them I hope as much as I do, people who will have to wait until next year to savour their flavour once more. But in the meantime, there’s grape jelly in my pantry!

 

Concord Grape Jelly

2 L fresh concord grapes

125 ml water

250 ml red wine

625 ml granulated sugar

Wash and stem the grapes. Combine them with water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

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Strain the juice through a bag or cheese cloth and allow it to stand overnight in the refrigerator. Measure the juice, being careful not to use sediment. You should have about 2 cups.

Combine 2 cups grape juice with the red wine and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered for 20 minutes or until a spoonful when chilled quickly has desired consistency.

Sterilize your jars by placing them in a 250F oven for about 10 minutes. Sterilize the lids by putting them in boiling water until you need them.

Ladle the liquid jam into sterilized jars. Put the lids and tighten lightly. The jars should seal as they cool.

Makes about 3 ½ 250 ml jars of jelly.