Concord Grape Jam
There are a few failproof signs of fall for me. Catching a whiff of wild Concord grapes on a cool day in September is one of them.
The heady, slightly musky smell is a sure sign that the weather is well on its way to turning colder. (Do you have grapes growing out back in your yard? Then you know just the intoxicating fragrance I’m talking about.) I was delighted to find them when we were out and about this weekend. I grabbed a few boxes, and practically skipped home to make some jam.
Facts about Concord grapes
Concord grapes are the very same little purple wonders that give Welch’s grape juice its signature flavor.
Concord grapes come from (you guessed it) Concord, a now-sleepy little Massachusetts town that was a hotbed of activity during the Revolutionary war. Concord was home to writers and thinkers like Thoreau and Emerson. And it’s also not that far from where we live in Salem.
They were first planted by Ephraim Wales Bull in 1854. His grapes were hardy, and survived in Concord, where other European varieties did not.
Nowadays, Concord grapes also grow in the wild all over many parts of the Northeast. And when summer turns to fall, you can find them in stores and farmers’ markets if you’re lucky.
A few facts about Concord grapes:
- Concord grapes are a dark purplish black, and are often covered in a light layer of harmless white bloom.
- They’re usually less sweet than traditional grapes.
- Concord grapes are also a “slip-skin” variety of grape (as opposed to “fixed-skin”), which means that they pop right out of their jackets when you give them a little squeeze.
- They’re generally used for juice and jam or jelly, not for eating out of hand because they have big seeds.
- Folks also put them into pies and tarts, like this.
Notes on timing, pectin, and canning
The timing on this recipe is imprecise at best, and will depend on your particular batch of grapes, specifically on how much pectin they had. Fruit loses pectin as it ripens. (And pectin is the stuff that thickens jam.) Concord grapes don’t have a ton of pectin, and each batch will be slightly different. For that reason, this recipe also relies on reducing the jam to thicken it.
The bottom line? Cook the jam for 20 minutes as I indicate, then check it and cook it a little longer if it’s not done. Keep reading, I’ve included just what you need to look for.
Also, this recipe makes about 4 pints, which is a relatively small amount of jam. I just keep it fresh in the fridge, where it will be happy for weeks—if it lasts that long.
For instructions on how to properly can jams and jellies, take a peek at these instructions from the good folks over at Ball.
Concord Grape Jam
3 lbs. concord grapes
3 cups sugar
2 Tbls. lemon juice
Yields about 4 pints
Skin the grapes
This is a pain to do, but it goes faster than you think it will. It’s also kind of gross, but kind of fun. If you have kids in the kitchen, they’ll make perfect little helpers.
Grab a grape. Remove the stem. Give it a gentle squeeze between your thumb and first two fingers. The skin will split, and the meat of the grape will pop right out. 
Do this over a bowl, so you can catch the juice that the grapes give off. There’ll be a fair amount of it and you’ll want to toss that into the jam pot with the fruit.
Keep the grapes in a bowl…
…and set the skins aside in another (or just heap them in a pile, like I did). Repeat until you’ve skinned all your grapes.
Puree the grape skins
Once all your grapes are peeled, put the skins in the food processor. (I’m reasonably sure a good blender would work for this, but haven’t tested it.) Toss in 1 cup of the sugar.
Process them on high for a minute or two. The skins will combine with the sugar and completely liquify. This is fun and feels like magic. (Hey, it’s the little things!) It happens almost instantly, and is delightfully shocking to see. Be careful from this point on. This stuff stains like mad.
The mixture will be thick, like this, and flecked with bits of grape skin. That’s just fine. You’re going to strain the mixture eventually. (Give it a taste. It’s heavenly already.)
Cook the Concord grape jam
Put the pureed skins in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the peeled grapes.
Add the lemon juice, as well.
And the remaining 2 cups of sugar.
Stir the whole mess up to combine it well.
Set the pot on the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir occasionally.
Once it boils, drop the heat low enough so that the jam maintains a simmer—but doesn’t rapidly boil.
Cook like this for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on the heat. If the jam feels like it’s sticking to the bottom of the pot when you stir, lower your heat a little. (If you keep the heat too high, it will scorch and your jam will have a burnt taste.)
After 20 minutes, your jam will have thickened and reduced, and should look about like this:
Strain the jam
Before you start, grab a plate and put it in the freezer. You’ll need it to test the jam in a few minutes.
Set a large, heatproof bowl on the counter. Fit a strainer on top. Pour the jam through the strainer, into the bowl. Be very careful when you do this. It may be delicious, but boiling hot jam is like napalm.
With a spatula, push the jam through the strainer. Keep smooshing it until most of the jam is in the bowl, and you’re left with a lump of seedy pulp in the strainer, like this:
How to test the jam for doneness
This is the part where the recipe gets a little imprecise. Now, at this point, your jam should be pretty thick. But the question is: Is it thick enough? Let’s find out. (A note for my buddy Jeff over at A Dork and His Pork: Yes, I switched spatulas at this point.)
Grab that plate that you just stashed in your freezer a few minutes ago. It should be very cold to the touch. If it’s not, stick it back in until it is.
When your plate is cold, drop a spoonful of hot jam on it in a little puddle. Pop the plate back into the freezer for 1 minute. (Yep, just one minute will do the trick.)
After 1 minute, yank the plate out. Tip the plate on its side. The jam should stay where it is in a blob, not run down the plate. Next, scoot the jam a little with a finger. The jam should have a skin that wrinkles up, like this:
If your jam passes both these tests, it’s done! If it’s still too thin, take the strained jam and simmer it for another few minutes. Then test it again. Repeat until it’s thick enough.
Jar, serve, and enjoy!
Ladle your warm jam into clean, sterilized jars. Let them cool to room temperature, then cover them and pop them in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Peek into a readers’ kitchens as they make this jam
Update—October 13, 2009—A special thanks to Sheldon, who made a huge batch of this jam from Concord grapes in his own yard. He was kind enough to send me the video he and his son made.
Here’s what he wrote:
“This is a video my son helped me make – turning 12 pounds of the Valiant strain of Concord Grapes into jars of jam. I found that every pound of grapes took one cup of sugar (and a bit of lemon juice) yielding one 250 ml jar of jam. It wasn’t too sweet…in fact just a bit tart, but really is one of the best jams or jellies I’ve ever made.
A very special thank you to Jessie at the Hungry Mouse for her wonderful, easy to follow and well illustrated recipe. Here is a link to that page, which I had opened the entire time I was making the jam.”
And here’s his video.
Oh, he also canned it in a traditional water bath. Some of you have asked how that works out, and it looks like it’s just fine! He didn’t add any additional ingredients (no Certo or Surejell).
Update—October 14, 2009—Thanks also to Charlene from crazedparent, who shared this picture of her jam-making adventure.
Update—October 20, 2009—And thanks to Jeff from A Dork and His Pork (seriously, one of my favorite food blogs, ever) for his picture of jam from this recipe. That’s his homemade bread, too.
Cheers!
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69 Comments
where can I sign up and get myself a jar of that yummy grape jam???
Hehehe…you’ve come to the right place! Jam line forms over there.
*points to kitchen and hands you a glass of wine*
+Jessie
I wish I liked concord grapes, because I’d be tempted to make this!!! Well done as usual my dear
When will you guest post for me??
Concord grapes are flavorful and great as jelly. You post reminds me it is that season again.
I knew my ears were burning!
I saw your tweet about Concord Grapes earlier this evening and I was really excited! I borrowed a food mill last year just for the purpose of making a jam like this (I HEART these grapes) and now I have a recipe.
I know I say that a lot, but I promise promise promise to make these really soon.
Jeff
I love concord grapes. We had a grapevine just up the hill from where I grew up and mom and I would go pick the grapes and make jam. This makes me want to go see if there are any grapes over there now!
Oh, I love that you had them in your yard! When I was little, my neighbor had grapevines all around her house. (She also had the biggest blackberry patch I’ve ever seen in my life.)
Cheers!
+Jessie
This is a great step by step detailed recipe for jelly. Good work.
Skinning grapes is always a fun chore! My nimble fingers find it harder to do the older I get! lol That is when a young apprentice comes in handy! lol
Hehehe…see? I knew I couldn’t be the only one who got a kick out of this. I’m with you on having a helpers, though. One pound of grapes is fun. Two starts *almost* feels like work. (Almost.)
Cheers!
+Jessie
I’ve never had these before. I like how you can peel them so easily!
Yeah, they’re a ton of fun. Definitely snag some if you can find ‘em.
+Jessie
I cannot wait to get settled after my move and start making some of your recipes again! The jam looks great!
Thanks, honey! And good luck getting settled. We just moved, too, and it’s definitely a process…
Cheers!
+Jessie
popping/peeling the grapes totally appeals to the the little kid & ocd in me, lol! i love the shot of them all peeled too, looks like a big pile of fish eggs XD
i might try this for kicks, thanks again for another ‘canning’ recipe that’s easy!
Hehe, thanks hon. Yeah, one of these days I’ll get around to properly canning something. I really do like making small batches of fresh stuff, though.
+Jessie
Yum!! It’s funny, I’m not huge on grapes but I’m in love with grape jam! Thanks for the recipe!
Ha! I’m kind of the same way. I prefer some fruits in jam form.
+Jessie
Hey there, this is the best recipe I have found online. Thanks for the tips! The detailed, pictured steps are great! My only question is can I can this jam? Do I need to add Suregel pectin to it if I can it? Thanks!
-Christina
Thanks so much, Christina!
Sorry for the delayed reply.
Ya know, I’m not a huge traditional canner, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. As long as you simmer it down to thicken it until it passes the freezer test, you should be OK without the Suregel.
Let me know how it turns out?
+Jessie
Wonderful description and visual aides – I was thrilled to find a method without using Certo! Flavor and color of my jam – over the top!
Just one \flaw\ – I live in Concord, MA, and it is a far cry from a \sleepy little town\ – come visit the three vibrant sections of Concord – Concord Center for rich history and upscale shops – Thoreau Street for marvelous cafes – French and Italian, homemade icecream shop, may local businesses as well as an ordinary supermarket and a couple of chain eateries and then cross Route 2 into West Concord Village for a thriving neighborhood community with two bakeries and an outstanding Natural Foods Store – all of which have appeared in national publications. All of Concord is surrounded by a dozen local farms which supply seasonal fresh produce as well as organic and pasture-fed meats and eggs!
Thanks, so much Alice!
Hehe, and I meant no offense about Concord. You have to understand…I lived in Boston for so many years, that anywhere outside the city is relatively quiet to me. I’ve been to Concord many times, and know just what you’re talking about! (Consequently, we live in Salem now, and…except for Halloween…I’m apt to describe our city as relatively sleepy, too.
)
Cheers and thanks so much for stopping by!
+Jessie
I was happy to find this post. Last year’s jam with our white grapes was a challenge but this year’s jelly turned out well. I was just able to pick up 3# of concords at the market and was searching for a better jam recipe. This fits the bill – back to the kitchen!
Thanks so much, Jennifer.
White grape jam! I’d love to know how that turned out. Let me know how you like this one?
+Jessie
Our landlord just gave us TONs of concord grapes!
I usually make freezer jam as I’m not set up for canning.
If I use this recipe as is, can I freeze it???
I normally use the Surejell recipes for other fruits but this is my first time working with grapes.
Do I need to do anything different to make it be freezer jam???
Thanks!
Oh wow! Lucky you.
Gosh, you know…I’ve never made freezer jam. From what I can gather, it looks like you freeze the jam, then let it thaw in the fridge before using. Is that about right?
I found a few recipes online, and they all seem to consist of fruit, sugar, water, and pectin. The pectin will serve to thicken the jam–something I accomplish in this recipe by simmering it down on the stove.
So…I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze this.
Let me know how it goes?
+Jessie
Hi Jessie,
I harvested 12 pounds of concord grapes off my two plants this Fall and was looking for a good jam recipe I could do. This was a fantastic recipe!! The illustrations were excellent! Thank you so much for posting this. I hope you don’t mind this, but my son taped me using your recipe and we’ll be posting it on YouTube. I intend to post a link to this recipe in the description. If you’d prefer that I didn’t, please let me know.
Again, thank you very much. It was so informative and easy to follow that even I could do it.
Sheldon
Thanks so much for stopping by and reporting in! SO glad you liked it.
(You’re a lucky duck with all those grapes in your yard.)
And on the contrary, I’d be thrilled if you linked to the recipe in your video. In fact, send me an email (jessie@thehungrymouse.com) with the link, and I’ll embed it in this post so folks can have another perspective.
Cheers!
+Jessie
I can’t wait to try this. Love the photo’s. Can this recipe be frozen?
Thanks so much, Barb. Someone else asked about freezing this jam. I honestly haven’t done it, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. It’s just fruit, water, and sugar. Let me know how it keeps if you freeze it?
Cheers!
+Jessie
Hi,
I’m getting ready to make the concord grape jam recipe. I picked the grapes in my own backyard! About how many cups of grapes equals 3 lbs?
Well, since no one answered 2 cups = 1 pound.
Hey Lori,
First off, so sorry for the delayed reply! I really try to answer all questions as promptly as I can, but sometimes one slips by me. Thanks for commenting back with the measurement.
One thing to note–your conversion is a good one, but will be approximate (which is just fine for a recipe like this).
Since a pound is a measure of weight, and a cup is a measure of volume, the exact measurement will vary depending on the size of the grapes, how tightly they’re packed into the cup, how dense they are, etc.
Totally nitpicky, I know, but worth noting in case someone tries to apply the same conversion to something like flour or sugar (more dense than flour)…
Again, sorry for the delayed reply. I really hope you liked the jam.
Cheers!
+Jessie
I can’t wait to make this for my husband. Grape Jam is his favorite. I can taste it now on a warm biscuit.
September 0, 2010.
Dear Jesse,
Well I guess it’s grape harvesting time again.
I have just discovered your excellent site and will certainly be a fan of yours. I have concords in my yard, and this year’s crop was the best ever. I followed your recipe, and the product is beyond wonderful. I did however have difficulty with the straining, as the jelling takes place as one strains and clogs up the strainer. Any suggestions? Ever try using a food mill for this step?
Thanks,
Jan
Jan, I also have had an issue in the past when straining when the fruit was at the jelling point. What I do instead is strain before adding the sugar. I think this makes it a bit easier and you can start canning when your jam is at the right consistency without having to strain right before canning.
Thanks Lynn,
I will try that. Also, I have been adding lots of things to the jam. Apples diced up, ginger, lemon peel, cloves. Very tasty results. BTW, re above, I use a blender for the skins and sugar combination, and it works just fine.
Jan
I used about 3 cups of grapes to a little less than a cup of sugar. (That was my unscientific conversion) It seems pretty sweet, but not too sweet. It made a few tiny jars. Mine was a little thin, even though I simmered an extra half hour. It’s still yummy. Next time I’ll try a little apple for the pectin.
I have been searching for a grape jam vs. grape jelly and this one is it! Or I’ll be certain that this is it tomorrow when I check the jars just cooling now to make sure the jam has gelled. Delicious flavor! I only had 2 lbs. of Concord grapes so I adjusted to 2 cups of sugar and 1 TBS/1.5 tsp of lemon juice. I did boil the grape pulp first, just enough to loosen the seeds, and put it through a food mill to get rid of the seeds before adding the pulp to the other ingredients and continuing with the recipe since I want some skin in the jam. I can’t wait to try this on toast.
I’ve been looking for a concord grape jam recipe that was simple and straight forward. This looks like it is right up my alley. My grapes are all skinned and ready for the pot. I can’t wait to try this.
I just made my first batch of jam using your recipe and it turned out wonderful!! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe. It really is quite manageable when you save the grape popping for one night and the cooking for another.
I made my first batch this morning with Concord grapes from the yard. While slipping the skins took a little bit of time, the end result was fantastic! The jam set up exactly on schedule and the flavor is incredible. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m writing this as I wait for my jam to set and just want to say THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for this recipie!!!!! This was my first time making jam or jelly or anything of the like and I really appriciated how easy your recipie was! I’m also glad that I was able to use the “squirt grapes” from my backyard!
Can I use grapes other than concord for this? I got some grapes from local guy here in Iowa. They are purple but not concords. Same ingredients apply as above?
Thanks for putting up a jam recipe that doesn’t require a food mill. I have mad hatred for food mills. I put up 6 1/2 pint jars of grape jam last week with Concord Grapes that my teenage son liberated from an abandoned property. He has since re-visited the orphaned vines three times, providing my BF and sis with their own supply of lovely Concords. I directed them to your tutorial. Thanks for not making it harder than it is.
Looking forward to breakfast in February!
Thanks for a great recipe. Love the photos.
Wonderful recipe, and thanks for the good insights! Our single vine yielded thirty-four POUNDS of grapes and this was a great use for them. I made jam in triple-sized batches, yielding 6.5 pints per batch. Since your page reminded me that fruit loses pectin as it ripens, I was able to throw some still-green and unbloomed grapes into the mix to boost the pectin amounts. This is not the over-sweet Smuckers result, but has a nice complexity, with that little kick of tart at the finish.
I just made 24 pints and it turned out perfect. Can I store this jam on the shelf or does it need to go right in the fridge?
Needs to be kept in the fridge unless you canned it in a hot water bath!
I never made jelly or jam before, but it turned out great! Much better than store-bought!
We picked eleven pounds of grapes this past weekend. I cooked 16 cups down by mashing them with sugar and putting them through a mill. It turned out very good, but not as good as this kind did. Took my other 16 cups and peeled them, not only does it have a better grape flavor, it made 50% more then the mashed grapes did. Love this recipe, will do it again next year!!
Thank you for the simple recipe and the great photos..This was my first attempt at making jam and first time I have used the Concord grape harvest we have from our one prolific vine. The only issue I encountered was the jam not setting up as expected. I had to add pectin to the pot at the end, after trying to reduce the mash for 1.25 hours.. the pectin did the trick, and now the whole family is excited to try the first jar once it cools..
I wouls like to make canned jam not freezer jam. Any ideas of how long to process and pecton amount? Thanks, Michele
Check Ball’s website for processing instructions. As for pectin, you shouldn’t need any. It will set up just fine as is. Let me know how it comes out! Good luck!
+Jessie
Hi, I just made this, but I had a very hard time with the jam thickening. I kept reducing and reducing, and finally decided to add pectin (have never used it before, and hope it tastes good in the end). I just didn’t want only one little jar after all those grapes! I ended up with 3.5 little jelly jars (8 oz each) full. Do you know if cooling the jam in between might help thicken it? It tasted sooo good, but I just couldn’t get it to thicken. Any tips?!
Try lightly smoking the skins before blending with the sugar. Also soak the pulp in a bit of dry white vermouth over night. Make are really great end product.
Just peeled 70lbs of concord grapes from our grape vine. Last was our first year and we had 3 lbs and made 7 jars of fabulous jam thanks to the grape (haha) instructions. we’ll have presents for everyone this year! Happy Harvesting!
My son bought a house with beautiful vines, so I tried this recipe. I kept simmering but my jam never passed the freezer test.
So I put it in jars anyway. I had doubled the recipe and expected 8 pints but with all the freezer testing simmering I ended up with 5 and a half pints. I hope it thickens up in the fridge, it tastes great. If it doesn’t thicken can I reheat it and get some sure gel or something? ( The pictures are very helpful, thank you.
My wife always used wax to seal the jam. Can it be used with this recipe? It is my first time making jam without her help.
Fred
As someone else suggested, I would strain/squeeze the pulp first to remove the seeds through a food mill, then add the chopped skin mixture to the juice, if this was what I wanted.
Basically, I bypass the individual peeling of the grapes and run the boiled down grapes through my foodmill, then add the sugar to the juice. This is more like making jelly, but I do get skin particles thru the mill, but without seeds.
I don’t have a food processor or something to chop the skins, so I find this a worthy substitute for Jam. I make about 60 jars a year of “Jack’s Jelly Jam”. Most I give away and haven’t had a complaint yet!
A new friend moved here and had a row of concord grapes (Nov.1) I picked a box full even though many were starting to shrivel. I steamed them into juice (several hours). Someone said I could make jelly/jam out of the juice. I never have before. I googled and found your site – it sounded WONDERFUL, but I have all this juice – can I just add some sugar and reheat it? Did I need the skins to make it set up? (it steamed til nothing more could come out). Please let me know asap, because I would love to make some jelly/jam from this juice if possible.
Thanks
bev
After straining out the peels and the pits , all I had was a thin liquid and not much of it.
The only change was that I had lightened up the amount of sugar. used. How do I thicken the next batch without resorting to using pectin. Thank you.
Hey!!! This jam looks delicious or delash as my mom tends to say. I am doing a 7 day water fast and I plan on making this today (day 3) for my completion of my fast. This should help me ease into to solid foods and I am so excited to try this recipe.
Thanks,
Joe