Concord Grape Jam with Vanilla

As far as homemade jams go, this Concord Grape Jam with Vanilla is one of my favorite no-pectin spreads that’s perfect for breakfast toast, PB&Js, desserts, and pastry. It has a rich and bold grape flavor with a hint of creamy vanilla for depth and a luscious smooth texture for spreading.

Making and preserving homemade fruit jams is the best way to relish the flavors of an abundant crop of fruit to enjoy year-long. It’s especially true for the short-lived fall season of Concord grapes. I grab as many of them as I can when I see them so I don’t miss out!

Their intense grape flavor and luscious deep purple hue are unlike any other grapes (hence why I’m utterly in love with them), but do require some extra processing care due to their large seeds. But I promise the extra effort is worth it and so much better than store-bought grape jam!

Read through my detailed guide below for lots of photos on how to prepare the grapes, cook the stovetop jam, and can them in a water bath.

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🍇 What are Concord Grapes?

Perhaps my favorite fall fruit, Concord grapes are somewhat elusive and only available for a short time in September and October.

The seeded deep purple grapes have an intense and aromatic grape flavor, unlike any other grapes you can purchase at grocery stores. In fact, most artificial grape flavoring and coloring from popsicles, candy, juice, etc. are based on the bold concord grape flavor!

Living in Massachusetts, concord grapes also hold a special place to me as being cultivated in Concord, Massachusetts by Ephraim Bull using wild grapes (or fox grapes). Wild grapes are one of the few native fruits from New England, and many sprawling vines grow unbothered around my home.

Due to their short shelf-life and picking season, Concord grapes are most commonly used commercially for making fruit juice (Welch’s is based in Concord, MA), popular grape jams like Smucker’s for peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and kosher wines such as Manischewitz.

In short, if you can find concord grapes at farmer’s markets, specialty grocery stores, or growing in the wild, pick as many as you can so you can make this concord grape jam to enjoy its lush flavor all year!

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👨‍🍳 Stovetop Jam & Canning Tips

This recipe calls for four pounds of Concord grapes, which will make six half-pint jars of jam for canning.

• Sterilize your jars
  • Before canning, you should always sanitize and sterilize your canning jars, even if they’re brand new. This prevents bacteria and mold growth so your jams will properly preserve.
  • Some people use the sanitization setting in a dishwasher, but I personally don’t risk it and boil the empty jars on a rack in my boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
  • Please read sterilization recommendations for safety and other canning tips.
• Use the freezer plate test to make sure the jam sets
  • There are many ways to test if your jam is set. While temperature can be helpful, it’s not always the best indicator for knowing when your jam is set due to the ripeness of your fruit and how much pectin is in it.
  • After making lots of jams and using various tests, I think the best way to test if your jam is set is the freezer plate test. Place a small plate in the freezer when you begin cooking your jam and spoon a small amount onto the plate when it’s close to being done. After a minute rest, run a finger through the jam. If it’s done, it will wrinkle and leave a clean trail line.
  • I have included more photos and tips on the freezer plate test in the recipe guide below.
• Wear heat-proof and water-proof gloves
  • Okay, so I’ve burned myself making jam more times than I’d like, so I really recommend wearing heat-proof gloves and water-proof gloves if you can! They’re really helpful for boiling water baths, hot steam, and for splashing fruit juices.
• Adjust for altitude
  • Like making sourdough bread or homemade maple syrup, altitude can affect the cooking process for jams. At higher altitudes, the boiling point of water is lower, so cooking times and exact temperatures can vary from person-to-person.
  • At sea-level, jam sets at 220ºF (104ºC) and decreases by 1ºF for every 500 feet. I’m at 1,000 ft, so my jam sets at 218ºF.
• Let jars cool completely
  • Once the jars are out of the water bath, they need to rest and cool completely to vacuum seal. Moving or shaking the jars before they have cooled can result in them losing their seal. Let them cool for 12-24 hours undisturbed.

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🛠 Canning Tools Needed

See below for my tool recommendations for making stovetop jam and canning in a hot water bath and substitutions.

Once you have the materials for making jam, you can reuse them over and over, so it’s only an initial investment!

Water Bath Canning Tools

• Water Bath Canning Pot (or large pot)
  • A large canning pot, made of stainless steel or graniteware, is most common for water bath canning. They’re wide and tall so they can fit a variety of canning jar sizes.
  • Use a stockpot, deep Dutch oven, or the biggest pot you have if you don’t have a specific canning pot.
• Canning Rack
  • A canning rack is important so your glass jars don’t sit on the bottom of your pot and possibly break. It also helps circulate the temperature better.
  • Make a makeshift canning rack using metal canning jar rings on the bottom of your pot.
• Jar Lifter
  • Helps handle hot, sterilized jars and dropping/removing the jars from the water bath.
  • Regular tongs can easily slip and break the jars, so having canning jar lifters with grips is essential.
• Funnel
  • A canning funnel will help direct the jam inside of the canning jars without spilling and ending up all over your jar rims.
• Ladle
  • For transferring the jam to the glass jars. I prefer metal ladles with a small spout.
• Heat-proof and Water-Proof Gloves
  • It’s easy to burn yourself with hot jams and high cooking temperatures of the canning jars, so I like to use these Lanon liquid and heat proof gloves for canning.
• Canning Jars, Lids, and Rings
  • I like 8oz or half-pint Ball Mason Jars for canning jams. However, you can make your jam in any size canning jar you’d prefer. While glass jars and rings are reusable, lids should only be used once to ensure they properly seal.
  • You can find jelly jars or canning jars at most grocery stores, online, a kitchen or canning aisle at home supply stores, or at large big-box retailers.
• Thermometer
  • An instant-read thermometer or a candy thermometer is really helpful for gauging how close your jam is to the gelling point. I use my Thermapen for everything from making jam, checking meat and candy temperature, to measuring dough temperature in Sourdough Bulk Fermentation.

Grape Jam Tools

• Dutch oven or large pot, for cooking the jam
• Large fine mesh strainer, for straining the seeds
  • Can also use cheesecloth or a food mill.
• Heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, for stirring
• Food processor for breaking apart the peels (optional)
  • You can leave the peels whole for a chunkier jam texture.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information and jam variations and inclusions.

• Concord Grapes
  • These fall grapes are fleeting and difficult to find any other time of year except for late September and October at farmer’s markets, specialty grocery stores, or farmstands. They’re most commonly found in New England, Mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest states, and Washington state where they thrive in cooler environments.
  • Do not substitute with common table grapes from the grocery store.
  • You can substitute with wild grapes, but they sometimes have larger seeds and may be less sweet, so you may need to use 4.5lbs of wild grapes in this recipe.
• Granulated Sugar
  • No-pectin jams need a high ratio of sugar to fruit to help preserve the jams and make it an inhospitable environment for bacteria and mold growth.
  • You also need sugar to balance out tartness in certain fruits that are more tart, which enhances the flavor of the fruit.
  • Finally, the sugar helps gel the jam so it’s spreadable and prevents it from being too runny.
  • I’ll add that many recipes use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to fruit for jams, and this recipe uses much less than that since Concord grapes have excellent natural sweetness.
• Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Acid is important for fruit jam to balance out the sweetness of the fruit and sugar. Plus, the acid helps set the pectin for many jams and jellies and lowers the pH to help prevent bacteria growth.
  • I don’t personally use bottled lemon juice for jams, because it can be too sour (or diluted) and usually has additives and preservatives. However, if that’s all you have, you can use it.
• Vanilla Bean (or extract)
  • While optional, vanilla adds so much depth to this concord grape jam. It has an intoxicating richness and perfumes the jam in a way that I think is worth using a real vanilla bean!
  • However, you can substitute the vanilla bean with a tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla paste.

Concord Grape Jam Variations and Additions

• Thyme or herbs: Stir in a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or other woody herbs like rosemary at the end of cooking the jam.
• Cinnamon: Add a cinnamon stick to your jam at the start of cooking and remove before canning.
• Almond extract: Instead of vanilla, stir in two teaspoons of almond extract for a slightly nutty flavor.
• Balsamic vinegar: For something more savory, balsamic vinegar (made from grape must) adds a pruney musky flavor. Add a tablespoon in at the end of cooking.
• Alcohol: Port or brandy are both interesting additions to grape jam for a little boozy flavor. Stir in ¼-⅓ cup of alcohol, depending on how much flavor you want in your jam.

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🍇 How to Make Concord Grape Jam

Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make and can this homemade Concord grape jam with vanilla.

1. Prep the Concord Grapes

Wash all of your grapes to remove any debris.

Prepare your peeling workstation with a medium-sized bowl for the peels and your Dutch oven or large pot for the grape pulp.

Thankfully, Concord grapes are a slip-skin variety grape, so their skins or peels easily slide off the pulp. To peel, gently squeeze a grape between your thumb and index finger to pop out the pulp and seeds.

Separate the bright green pulps into your Dutch oven and the purple peels in a medium bowl.

For 4 pounds of grapes, it takes about 30-45 minutes to peel them all. Enlist small hands or others if they’re around to make it go faster!

2. Cook the Pulp and Strain the Seeds

To separate the seeds from the pulp, cook the grape pulps in a pot on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until most of the seeds separate and rise to the surface.

Remove from the heat and strain the juices and seeds with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a large heatproof bowl.

Use a spatula to press down on the pulp and juices so only the seeds remain in the strainer. Discard the seeds.

3. Process the Skins (optional)

You don’t have to process the skins for a chunky grape jam. However, the jam has a more spreadable quality when the skins are chopped up.

Add the grape skins to a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse a few times to break up.

4. Cook the Concord Grape Jam

Place a small plate in the freezer to test when the jam is done for later.

Transfer the grape pulp, skins, and granulated sugar all to one large Dutch oven or heavy-duty pot.

Turn on medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until boiling. Maintain the grape jam at a medium boil for about 30 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom every five minutes or so to avoid burning.

At first, the jam will have lots of bubbles and be quite juicy. However, over time, it will gradually cook off the water, reduce in size, get thicker, and turn deeper and deeper purple.

If there is a lot of foam on top, you can scrape and skim this off with a spoon and discard. Without skimming, the foam can make your jams appear cloudy.

5. Add Lemon Juice and Vanilla

I prefer adding lemon juice and delicate flavorings like vanilla near the end of cooking jam so the flavor is intact and not cooked off.

After 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the fresh lemon juice and the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean (or a tablespoon of vanilla extract).

Reserve the vanilla bean to use in your own homemade vanilla extract or vanilla sugar.

6. Finish Cooking and Freezer Plate Test

Continue cooking the jam, stirring more often to avoid burning, for another 10-15 minutes or until the jam has lava-like bubbles, is thicker, and has a slightly shiny and reflective surface.

If you’re using a thermometer at sea level, the jam should read about 218ºF (103ºC). This is the point when you’ll want to start testing if the jam is set (see below).

Once the jam passes the freezer plate test, immediately remove it from the heat for processing.

How to Use the Freezer Plate Test for Jam

While temperature and time can be helpful indicators to know if the jam is close to being set, every batch of fruit cooks slightly differently due to natural pectin qualities, how ripe the fruit is, altitude, and other factors. To be most precise, use the freezer plate test to know if your jam is set properly.

Keep a small plate in the freezer as your jam cooks. Then, spoon a small amount of jam onto the plate and let it rest back in the freezer for a minute.

Drag a finger through the middle of the jam. If the jam is runny and quickly fills in the trail, then it needs to cook longer for the natural pectin to set.

The jam is set when it leaves a clear line through the center and wrinkles and is gel-like if you push the jam with your finger.

7. Can the Concord Grape Jam (optional)

Once the jam is set, place a wide-mouth funnel on top of the sterilized canning jars and carefully ladle in the hot jam.

Leave at least ¼-inch of room on top, as the jar will expand slightly when it cools. Also, make sure to wipe the edges of your glass jars with a clean towel if there is any drippage or jam around the top of the jars.

Place the canning lids on top and tighten the rings to fingertip tight (not too tight).*

If canning the jam, boil the water in your water bath canner pot again and place the jams onto your canning rack. Slowly lower the rack into the water bath to cover them in at least 1-2 inches of boiling water.

Cover with the lid and boil the half-pint jars for 10 minutes at sea level. Add an additional minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level and more time for larger jars (refer to the National Center for Home Food Preservation or other approved sources).

Lift the hot jars from the boiling water and let them cool completely at room temperature without disturbing them for 24 hours. Within minutes, you should hear the satisfying pop of the canning lids sealing!

When done properly with new lids, I’ve never had issues with jars not sealing properly. However, you should double-check them after 24 hours to ensure the jars are sealed. To check if sealed, press the lid. The lid should not spring up, and it should curve inwards (not bulging).

Finally, be sure to label the jars and date them so you don’t forget what flavor they are or the date you made them!

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How to Store Concord Grape Jam

This recipe makes six half-pint jars for long-term storage if canning. You can enjoy the Concord grape jam way past grape season!

Canned jams can last for a year (sometimes longer) in a cool, dark pantry. The sugar and acid act as natural preservatives to keep it lasting.

Once opened, the jam should be refrigerated and will last a month in the fridge. I’ve had it last longer, but I go through jam quite quickly, so it never takes that long. If you ever see mold or it has an off taste, throw it away.

How to Serve Concord Grape Jam

Homemade jam makes excellent gifts and party favors. During peak fruit season during the summer and fall, I’ll buy lots of fresh fruit to make many jams as it’s much cheaper when it’s in season and tastes so much better.

Concord grape jam is very versatile and goes with any breakfast toast. Hearty breads like my Seeded Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread and Spelt Sourdough Bread are particularly good with it.

Concord grape jam is also an excellent choice on these Sourdough English Muffins or homemade Sourdough Bagels with butter or cream cheese.

You can use the jam in dessert recipes like the jam swirl in my Sourdough Babka with Any Jam, the filling in these flaky Sourdough Pop Tarts, or you can incorporate a teaspoon into these classic Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies for a PB&J twist or even in thumbprint/Linzer cookies.

Finally, this jam makes the BEST peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Serve on my Sourdough Sandwich Bread or My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe.

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❓FAQs:

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