Mustang Grape Jelly

This is a recipe belongs to Luke Oliver from San Benito has been making mustang grape jelly for more than 30 years, and the retired principal has a tried and true recipe.

“I pick 48 quarts, that is one ice chest, and that gives me enough to do whatever I want. I’ve got a drawer with hardware cloth on the bottom, and I just put handfuls of grapes in there and spray them with a hose and wash off the bugs and debris. Then I heat them on the stove. I don’t boil them. I mash them with a potato masher, and I don’t put water in them. Water just dilutes the juice.

“Then I put it in the cheese cloth, stems, seeds and everything, and I strain it so all I have is juice. I just put five cups of it in a zip lock bag and throw it in the freezer. Then in December when I am ready to use it, I just thaw it

“Our recipe is five cups of juice, seven cups of sugar and one box of sure gel. Cook that until it starts to thicken and then just bottle it. That’s it.

“If you like jelly with a little tart flavor, pick them at the end of June when you have a few green ones still in there. If you want it just plain sweet, wait until the end of July when all the grapes are ready and you get a sweeter jelly. Also, Marion has found out that if you pick them early the acid in them can really burn your hands. The sweeter the grapes the less problem you will have with your hands.”