Muscadine Jelly is very easy to make. This grape like fruit grows wild in the southern United States. Muscadines have a delicious flavor and smells heavenly when cooking.

Muscadine Jelly -- Makes 8 - 10 pints

4 quarts ripe Muscadine grapes
2 2/3 cups sugar
2 pkg. of pectin

1. Take off the stems and wash Muscadines in a large pot. Rinse several times. Then mash the Muscadines and fill pot with water just about 2 inches covering over them.

2. Simmer for 25 minutes. Pour the juice into another pot through a colander to catch the seeds and skins. Strain through cheesecloth back into the original pot. Heat to boiling. Boil juice for 5 minutes and then add the sugar.

3. Turn down heat to a simmer and cook until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. This took me around 30 minutes. The directions on the pectin will tell you how to test it by letting the juice sheet from a cold spoon. I was not sure what this looked like so I put mine in a spoon in the fridge to cool. It jelled!! Not firm, but that is OK, it will firm up later.

4. Skim off the foam. I had my jelly jars already washed and sterilized in another pot filled with hot water. You should sterilize jelly containers in boiling water for 10 minutes before using them. Then keep the containers hot in hot water until you use them. This will keep them from breaking when you fill them with hot jelly. In another small pot there was the lids and seals in hot water. Pour the juice into the jars with a funnel. Put the seals and then the lids on. I wiped the edges of the jar tops with a damp, hot paper towel.

5. Process your jelly for 15 minutes in boiling water. Allow 2 to 4 inches of water above jar tops for brisk boiling - just enough for the water to cover the tops of jars and have space to boil freely. Then carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel out of a draft. By the morning you will have lots of wonderful Muscadine Jelly to share with family and friends. Yummy!!

* Muscadine Jelly was the first jelly I ever tried to make. It smells heavenly when cooking. One word of warning though, it is bitter until you add the sugar. You should have seen my face when I took a taste - lol. Don't worry though, once you add the sugar, it will be fine.

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