Last weekend, my dad took the kids out to pick muscadines. They came back with two gallon buckets full. (There were even a few pears thrown in for good measure!) We are big jelly-eaters, so I knew I would use some of those “southern grapes” to make a few jars of muscadine jelly.
Muscadine jelly is one of the easiest jellies to make. You will need about 7 cups of fruit. Rinse these off and remove any stems. Place the muscadines in a large pot and cover with water. Boil on high for about 10 minutes. This is where the fun part starts!
Grab a meat press or big spoon and smash those muscadines. Relieve all the stress from your day–you want them mashed really good. Work those berries over for about 10 more minutes. (They will need to boil for 15-20 minutes, total.)
Pour the mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl. (This is definitely a two-person job!) Mash the muscadines down into the strainer to get all the good juice out.
Combine 5 cups muscadine juice, 1 box pectin (SureJell), and 6 cups sugar into the pot. Drop 1 teaspoon of butter into mixture to prevent bubbles. Bring mixture to a roiling boil for 5 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
Pour hot mixture into jelly jars.
I like to use the inversion method for canning. (Note: This only works when canning hot jellies or jams.) As soon as the the jelly is poured into the jars, put the rings and lids on tightly. Turn the jars upside down for 4-5 minutes. Flip them over and allow them to cool. As they are cooling, they will pop and seal off.
All that’s left to do after that is enjoy!
Do these jars have to be refrigerated afterwards to store them til ready for another jar to eat?
They do not, as long as they seal correctly.
Loved this recipe! I did add a small splash of lemon juice. Thank you for sharing!
Do you have to use all the sugar? I prefer to have mine a little less sweet.
I must be a rule breaker, if it’s a rule you must not turn upside down. I’ve always done jams n jellies this way. Its how my grandmother taught me. Great recipe! Super easy also. Thanks for sharing
Yup. I cringe when I see recipes calling for turning the jars over to seal. Very unsafe. It takes a bit more work but please water bath your jams and jellies to get a good safe seal.
♥️♥️♥️Wow! I did not water bathe the filled jars. And I DID turn upside down. Am i in trouble??? This is THE BEST recipe I have used. I will dump all other muscadine jelly recipes.
New rules for canning jelly is never turn the jars upside down and they need to be water bathed (5 minutes for jelly or 10 minutes for jam). Remove from boiling water and let set 12 to 24 hours for a good seal. Love muscadine jelly! We have them planted in our orchard and run them on a wire like you do grapes! A lot easier than hunting them in the woods .