Apple and Grape Jam
For a long time I've wanted to try this jam combination and this year I did it, using grapes from our own garden. I had Isabella grapes, which made the jam even more flavourful and I recommend using very aromatic thin skinned grapes for this recipe. I added the apples for the texture and the pectin, but also because they match wonderfully with the grapes' flavour.
You should really try this grape and apple jam because it's interesting, colourful, aromatic and very tasty. You can spread it on bread with butter or use it in crescent rolls, cookies, bread buns, biscuits etc.
First, pick the grapes from the stems - from the initial 1700g I obtained about 1500g grapes.
Wash thoroughly under running water and drain in a colander.
Then transfer the washed grapes to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add 500ml water and place over heat on the stove.
When it comes to the boil, turn heat down and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
At first, the grapes will be intact, like in the photo.
In 20-25 minutes' time, the grapes will get crushed, will turn soft and very squishy.
Now remove the pot from the heat.
Little by little, pour the grapes with a ladle into a metalic sieve placed over a bowl.
Squeeze the grapes in the sieve with the spoon to get rid of the pips and skins. Continue the procedure for the whole amount of grapes and you will have a soft puree (in the end, I obtained 1400g grape puree).
Transfer the puree back to the pot, add 2 kilos sugar.
Mix in the cored apples (peeled or not), grated in advance using the medium-sized grater or a food processor.
Stir and place over heat and when it comes to the boil, turn heat down and let simmer for 1-2 hours. Mix occasionally.
Cooking time may vary between 1-2 hours, but you can look at the texture and the colour. The colour has to be uniform. Test the texture by dripping a drop on a plate. If it's runny and not very firm, the jam needs more time to cook. If it's firm and not runny, the jam is ready.
If you want to, at the end, you can make the jam even smoother, using a hand blender.
Boil the jam for another 5-10 minutes.
Pour the hot jam into washed, dried and sterilized jars, seal and let cool completely.
After cooling down completely, the jam gets thicker and denser, it's very flavourful and tasty.
Enjoy!
