Grape Jelly has ruined one of my favorite parenting tricks. My youngest son detested PB & J Sandwiches, so for a long time a punishment of peanut butter and jelly for dinner, worked great for him. He was far more devastated by that than he would be by a time out or taking toys away. I loved it! But then I made Grape Juice Jelly and punishments in our home were never the same again.
Now, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches made with homemade grape jelly are the prime request for school lunches even from the son who was previously a PB&J hater. I like it because it is a good way for me to control the High Fructose Corn Syrup they consume, it makes cheap, cheap sandwiches and it takes me 5-10 minutes to complete the process of making the jelly and I only need to make it every 2 months or so.
I watch for grape juice to go on sale and purchase it by the bottle, one 64 oz. bottle is enough to make 2 batches of jelly (that's 3 quarts total!) along with a couple glasses of juice for the kiddos! The original recipe says that you can use juice from concentrate, though I have not done it myself.
Homemade Grape Jelly Recipe (from Hillbilly Housewife)
3 cups Grape Juice
1 package pectin
4 cups sugar
Combine juice and pectin in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it is at a full boil add in the sugar and return to a boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute. Ladle into 1 quart size jar and 1 pint size jar and refrigerate. Jelly is done!
Make some jelly and enjoy it on buttermilk biscuits or a piece of delicious homemade white bread, and you'll be eating a little piece of heaven!
