A Monday Recipe: Cardamom Grape Jelly

While checking out some different jelly recipes, I came across one for a cardamom grape jelly. However, it started with whole juice grapes and required boiling the grapes and cardamom pods together and then allowing the to drain overnight. Meh, I was ready to make jelly **RIGHT NOW**, and, I was making it from grape juice. So, I used the idea and made it my own way. Additionally, I've been experimenting with the low sugar/no sugar pectin, too. It has the advantage of making the jelly for less cost and of being lower in sugar. It DOES make a bit less jelly: 10 half-pint jars as opposed to 12 half-pints.


Recipe:
1 large can of frozen concentrated grape juice, any color
4T low sugar/no sugar powdered pectin
4 c sugar
8 green cardamom pods, crushed
2 cups of water

Crush the cardamom pods, and put in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hr. Turn off heat but leave on burner while you prepare the rest. Reconstitute grape juice according to directions on can. Pour juice into a large pot on the stove and then whisk in the powdered pectin. Strain the cardamom seeds/pods from the liquid with a fine mesh strainer. Stir the liquid into the pot with the juice and pectin. On medium high heat, bring the juice to a rapid boil that won't stir down. Boil one minute. Whisk in the sugar and bring to a hard rapid boil, again, boiling for one minute again. Remove from heat and process in hot sterilized half-pint jars for 5 minutes.
Makes 10 half-pints, plus a little extra.

The lovely cardamom flavor wasn't apparent to me while the jelly was still hot. The next day, when the little bit of extra had cooled in the refrigerator, I had a bit on some toast, and HOLY COW!!! Unbelievable flavor!!

About the low sugar/no sugar pectin: Most recipes using regular pectin require 7 cups of sugar for the same amount of juice. **7**.  The low sugar/no sugar pectin used to come in a pink Sure-Jell box, but now you can buy a bulk container you measure out of, and I prefer that. I think it's marketed by Ball, and it has a green label.