Grape Butter is a true DELIGHT that will make you want to wrap up next to the fire with a good book! It is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin using the juice and the pulp of grapes other than Concord-type grapes. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- Grape Ingredients:
- 3 pounds grapes to make 4 cups pulpy juice
- ½ cup water
- Butter Ingredients:
- 4 cups pulpy juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- ¼ cup lemon juice bottled
- ½ cup up to ¾ cup honey or 1 cup up to 2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before You Begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
- Wash, remove stems, and mash grapes. Bring grapes and water to a boil in a sauce pan then simmer covered on low for 10 minutes. Strain out seeds and skins with a Foley mill.
- Measure pulpy juice and spices into saucepan.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice and mix well.
- Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Alison
I’m curious what makes this a butter. Is it the texture? Or the spices? Aside from apple butter, fruit butters are new to me.
Shelby Collings
Yes, the texture and the spices.
Edward Murphy
Hi,
I have some purple, wine-style, seeded grapes that I want to use to make grape jam or grape butter. These grapes were grown from clippings obtained from a local winery in upstate NY.
I read one of your recipes for grape butter and it says to use the juice and pulp from grapes other than Concord style grapes. Can you be more specific on what grapes can be used? Or what is a non-Concord grape?
Thank you.
Ed
Shelby Collings
Hello Ed,
This is the information we would find for you about Concord grapes…
“Concord grapes are hardy grapes native to North America. They are typically larger in size and have larger seeds than European varieties. Concord grapes also have a slip skin (skin that separates from the pulp), which is thicker than the fixed skin on European grapes.” http://www.concordgrape.org/bodyfacts.html