I was given several pounds of homegrown, seeded concord grapes from a family friend. Knowing they would not all be eaten, I decided to try an experiment. I washed them, added a little water and sugar to taste, and simmered them on a low flame until very soft, about 20 minutes. Then I transferred the mixture to a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl and let it drain, lightly pressing on the fruit to release all the liquid.

(Here’s where I differed from prevailing jelly recipes that say do not press on the fruit. I didn’t read them before hand.)

Next, I decided to simmer the liquid down to thicken it, but not before tasting it to see if it needed more sugar. I stirred it from time to time, and, after awhile, it seemed thick enough. So when I poured it into a glass container, and it cooled, I was surprised to see that I had accidentally made grape jelly!

What, are you wondering, possessed me to even try this experiment? I have been making fresh raspberry and fresh blueberry sauce all season to eat over fruit, yogurt, and ice cream (Thought I was making a grape sauce!) I wash whatever berry I’m using, again add sugar to taste, and cook over a very low flame until the fruit turns syrupy. No added water is ever necessary.

I tried my experiment again with ripe, seedless concord grapes, only this time, pressed the cooked fruit through a sieve until I extracted most of the pulp. I again simmered it, stirred occasionally until thickened, and when cooled, discovered I had made grape jam!

I am enclosing a Basic Jelly recipe by Martha Stewart for those who don’t want to leave anything to chance. She also posts a Basic Jam.

For 3 pounds of grapes, use 1 cup of water. Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, mashing occasionally with a potato masher, until fruit is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the juice through a sieve, over a bowl, without pressing on the fruit, for 4 hours.

Measure the juice; you will have 3 to 4 cups. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring juice to a boil. Add 3/4 cup sugar for each cup of juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (Again, please taste.)

Return to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, 8 to 12 minutes. (Be careful here. Perhaps not a full boil but more of a simmer. It may take a little longer, but you won’t get burnt from splattered, hot liquid.)

To test if jelly is done, dip a large metal spoon in, lift it horizontally above pot, and let mixture drip back in. Jelly is done when mixture has thickened slightly and drops of it slide together off spoon in a sheet.

The prevailing advice is not to use overripe fruit for jelly.

Note: Whenever I have to simmer anything, I use a (stove) heat diffuser. Search online. Amazon has them, as well as Walmart. I even use one to gently simmer oatmeal.