Saturday, April 4, 2009

Muscat Grape Jelly


Today I was shopping in the Whole Foods and found something new to me. Muscat grapes. I had never even tried them before. I don't like tasting grapes in the store, so I had no idea what I was buying, but the little sign said, "Available for only 4 weeks a year!" I'm such a sucker for that kind of advertising. If it's unusual, I'll buy it. Especially if it's a food. (Grocers, take note!) I bought 6 pounds.

Eating a muscat grape is like having a little ball of perfume in your mouth - but not in an overpowering way. They are sweet and fragrant. And they have a pinkish glow that is very pretty. Compared to the green grapes they were next to, they looked richer. Healthier. Like grapes should look. My older child tried some and referred to them as "Honey Grapes." Aren't they lovely?

So I used 3 pounds to make grape jelly. I extracted the juice by crushing and boiling the grapes with 1/2 c. of water and then straining with cheesecloth and a strainer. I just barely got the requisite 4 c. of juice (didn't want to add water and dilute the flavor) and then followed the directions on the package of Certo. (7 c. of sugar, 1 package of Certo.) I ended up with 8 1/2 c. of jelly. The whole family ate another 2 pounds before dinnertime and I'm currently snacking on some more while I write. I may have to go back and buy some more before that 4 week window is up!
Posted by at 9:57 PM
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7 comments:

  1. This is just what I was looking for! I juiced some muscat grapes my neighbor gave me this summer (I was up to my elbows in tomatoes at the time lol) Did the 7 cups of sugar make the jelly to sweet? I have never tried these grapes before and I agree they are AMAZING!!
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  2. It _is_ very sweet. Maybe cut back on the sugar? Boy, I miss those grapes! We get them in April around here.
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  3. Thanks Donna, I appreciate the quick response :)
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  4. Hi Donna, would you tell me if Muscat grapes are supposed to be very mushy in the center? I am enjoying them as a snack but my husband was turned off by the crisp outer and almost 'liquidy' inside. They are delish but are they bad if mushy like this? Thank you!!
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  5. Hi, AAA, I remember them being very juicy with firm skins, maybe only a little softer than the usual red grapes we get. I don't recall them being very liquidy. However, I do know lots of people who like their grapes on the squishier side. If they don't taste fermented, they are likely ok.
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  7. Thank you Donna! I really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly - I am going to make your jelly with my bag of grapes. Thank you so much! Helen
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