Time Needed: 1 ½ to 2 hours HOME FOOD PRESERVATION

Lesson Plan: Canning Grape Jelly

Supply List:
Commercially bottled unsweetened grape
Recipe: Grape Jelly with Powdered Pectin and commercial
juice (5 cups)
grape juice
1 box of regular powdered pectin Source: NCHFP website
7 cups sugar
9 half-pint canning jars with lids and metal Learner Objectives:
rings 1. Learn to preserve high-acid foods at home.
Paper towels 2. Understand the importance of canning correctly.
Disposable food grade gloves 3. Demonstrate the proper steps to successfully
Small paper plates preserve jelly a home.
Serving spoon 4. Identify problems and solutions for home food
Saltine crackers (for taste testing) preservation.
5. Describe the basic functions of pectin and sugar
Handouts per participant: when making jelly.
Home Canned Grape Jelly
Grape Jelly Recipe Canning Method Used: Boiling Water Canning
Boiling Water Canning ▪ High Acid Foods – pH 4.6 or lower
▪ Used for
Equipment Needs:  fruit spreads - like jams and jellies
Gas/electric stovetop  most fruit products
Ample counterspace per participant  tomatoes
Boiling water canner with rack  salsas
Thermometer  acidified foods – like pickles
Large saucepan  fermented foods – like sauerkraut
Several medium bowls • Prevents growth of Clostridium Botulinum; yeasts, molds
Jar lifter • Most bacteria are destroyed at boiling temperatures
Jar funnel (212°F at sea level)
Headspace tool/bubble freer or narrow
plastic spatula or plastic knife Hot Pack Method –Heat product to a boil; and simmer
Ladle according to recipe. Immediately fill canning jars with hot
product.
Dry and Liquid measuring cups
▪ Preferred method
Measuring spoons
for most foods.
Large wooden spoon
▪ Food is cooked
Permanent marker or labels before packing in
Potholders jars.
Kitchen Towels ▪ Fewer jars needed.
Timer ▪ Less floating.
▪ Better color and
Optional, but can be handy: flavor retention.
Extra 2-piece canning lids and metal rings
Extra Kitchen Towels
Small pot or kettle, for extra hot water
Cooling Rack
Laminate recipe to use during class

Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University
of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of
Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Teacher Steps to Boiling Water Canning Grape Jelly
There are many ways to organize work environments for canning. If you are familiar with canning, and
organizing differently, feel free to adjust to your class. It is a good idea to have everyone wear gloves to this
in a class environment.

Work Stations (and supplies needed):

A. Measuring Station
Measuring cups, spoons, bowls, ingredients
B. Canning Jar Preparation Station
9 half-pint canning jars, 9 2-piece canning lids and rings, dish soap, dish pan, paper towels or clean
kitchen towel for drying
C. Jelly Preparation Station
Large saucepot, pre-measured ingredients, pectin, large wooden spoon, metal spoon
D. Jar Filling Station and Placement Into Canner
Trivet for hot saucepot, cake pan to catch drips, ladle, clean and hot jars, clean lids and rings, jar funnel,
bubble freer/plastic knife, headspace measuring device, clean damp paper towel, jar lifter, boiling water
canner with water at 180°F, timer
E. Cooling Station
Jar lifter, clean towel or cake cooling rack

Before Class
1. Wash hands and kitchen counters before 3. Add water to boiling water canner and begin
starting. to heat on stove.
2. Prepare supplies and set up each work station. • If using the canner to heat jars, put on stove
and set heat to medium to medium high.
Add jars making sure each jar is under
water. Do not boil, heat to 180°F.
• If not using the canner to heat jars, fill
canner about 1/3 full of water and start
water heating. Do not boil, heat to 180°F.
4. Either before class or at the beginning of class
wash jars, lids
and rings.

When Class Starts

• Introductions – teachers and students
Have participants tell if they have ever canned before. If yes, what food?
• Inform students, this will be a guided, hands-on canning experience, encourage them to ask questions
along the way. Let them know when the jars are in the canner, we will be reviewing what we did. If time
permits, use the canning activities included with this lesson series.

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Tasks to Start Class
Should I sterilize my jars??
Have students wash hands.
Wash jars, lids and rings, if not done ahead of class. Keep
jars hot by using one of the following methods:
 Jars can be immersed into the canner water or other
pot with hot water.
 Jars can be held in a clean sink in very hot water.
If the processing time is less than 10 minutes it is
 Jars can be run through a dishwasher and held in the
recommended you sterilize the jars first.
hot dishwasher.
To pre-sterilize jars, place the cleaned jars right-
Cooking Jelly side-up on a rack in a canner and fill the jars and
canner with water to 1-inch above the tops of
Combine grape juice and powdered pectin in large the jars. Bring the water to a boil and then boil
saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature of stove top
stirring to blend in pectin. Add sugar, stirring until to maintain jars at 180°F.
sugar is dissolved.
When you are ready to fill the jars, remove the
Bring mixture back to a boil that cannot be stirred down. jars one at a time, carefully emptying the water
Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. TIP: Do Not from them back into the canner. This will keep
overcook. the hot water in the canner for processing filled
jars.
Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.

Tested recipes have specific instructions for cooking - follow them. Your goal is to develop an adequate gel
structure. Best results occur when you use a wide diameter saucepan with a flat, heavy bottom and high sides. The
additional surface space helps with evaporation resulting in improved gelling.
Additional points to remember when cooking jellies:
1. Prepare only a single batch at a time. Doubling the recipe can cause your spread to be soft and not gel.
2. Overcooking or undercooking can affect the set.
3. Pectin recipes have been developed for a specific boil time, always follow the recipe.
4. While cooking your jelly, foam will form on the top. Use a large metal spoon to skim the foam off the spread prior
to filling jars.
5. Use only jar size specified in your tested recipe. It is not safe to use larger jars as this can affect processing
temperature and time.
6. Measure the full amount of sugar listed in the recipe. If you wish to use less sugar, use a recipe specifically
developed to get the taste you want.

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Getting Ready
To fill jars, line up an
assembly. If there is not
enough room to do this by
the stove, try to do it near
the stove.

A. Start with – Cooked jelly in saucepot on trivet or

potholder
B. Cake pan (optional) with jar funnel, ladle, plastic bubble
freer, and headspace tool
C. Damp paper towel
D. Washed lids and rings (following manufacturers
instructions)
E. Jar lifter
F. Boiling water canner with water at 180°F on the stove

Finger Tight
As the jars are heating in the boiling
water canner, air is forced out of the jar,
How to Fill a Jar called venting. At the end of the
processing time and the jar comes out of
Demonstrate filling a jar. Then have all students fill a jar. the canner, it wants to equalize the
pressure and have the air back. The lid
1. Start with a hot jar.
pulls tight to the jar and forms a seal, not
2. Use jar funnel, fill the jar with jelly using a ladle, letting the air back in. That is how the
leaving the recommended headspace (1/4 inch). vacuum forms. If a lid is on too tight
when you put it in the canner, the lids
3. Run a plastic bubble freer around the inside of the jar
may buckle or not seal properly. If the
to release any air bubbles.
lid is too loose, it won’t form a tight bond
4. Use headspace measurer or jar measurements to to the jar.
check for the correct headspace (1/4 inch).
5. Wipe the rim of the jar using a clean damp cloth or
paper towel.
6. Center lid on the mouth of the jar and adjust screw
band to finger tight.
7. Using a jar lifter, place the filled jar on the rack in the
canner, being careful not to tip the filled canning jar.
Repeat until all jars are filled or product is all used.

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8. If rack is resting on the rim, lower into canner. Water
must cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Adjust heat to
medium-high, place lid on canner, and bring water to a
rolling boil.
9. Process jars for the amount of time indicated in the
recipe when water is at full boil. Keep the canner
covered for the process time. The heat setting may be
lowered as long as a gentle but complete boil is
maintained for the entire process time.
Discuss elevation and how it can make a difference in Elevation Adjustments
processing your products.
At sea level, water boils at 212 °F. As the
Continue watching the timer on the boiling water canner elevation increases, water will boil at a lower
and review procedures. temperature. For elevations above sea level, it
is necessary to add additional time when
10. Once the timer goes off, processing. Canning directions for each food will
if the water has remained at give proper processing times for elevation
a steady boil the entire time: adjustments. To find your elevation go to:
http://whatismyelevation.com
turn off the burner
Your Elevation # ____________________
remove canner lid
leave jars in the canner
undisturbed for 5 minutes
If the students do not want to return to
pick up a jar, you can let them take
11. Lift jars straight out of the canner without tilting. Place
on a towel or a rack, leaving at least a 1-inch space
them home hot. These hot jars must be
between jars during cooling. Avoid placing the jars on a put in the fridge and used quickly as the
cold surface or in a cold draft. Do NOT tighten bands if seal will not have set and cooled to be
loose. Do NOT push down on or wipe off excess water shelf-stable.
on the center of the flat lid.
12. Make sure you have a place where the jars can be set Before Storing Canned Jelly
undisturbed for at least 12 hours. Let the students know
In a home environment, follow these final
that jars will need to sit for 12-24 hours before moving.
steps to produce a shelf-stable product.
• After jars have set 12-24 hours.
• Remove screw bands from sealed jars. Screw
bands can be washed and dried and put
away for use another time. Put any unsealed
jars in the refrigerator and use them first.
• Wipe down sealed jars with sudsy water to
remove any residue.
•
•
E
Label jars, with product name and date.
Store in a cool, dry place out of direct light.
• Best if used within 1 year.

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 Grape Jelly
with powdered pectin
5 cups grape juice (about 3½ pounds Concord grapes and 1 cup water)
1 package powdered pectin
7 cups sugar
Yield: About 8 or 9 half-pint jars

Procedure: Wash and prepare canning jars with two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's
directions.

During class this step is already done by using commercial grape juice.
To prepare juice. Sort, wash, and remove stems from fully ripe grapes. Crush grapes, add water, cover,
bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Extract juice. To prevent formation of
tartrate crystals in the jelly, let juice stand in a cool place overnight, then strain through two thicknesses
of damp cheesecloth to remove crystals that have formed.

To make jelly. Measure juice into a kettle. Add pectin and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring
constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add sugar, continue stirring,
and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly.
Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a
dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner or
Steam Canner.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Grape Jelly in Boiling Water Canner or Steam Canner.

Process Time at Elevations of

Style of Pack Jar Size 0 - 1,000 ft 1,001 - 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft

Hot Half-pints 5 min 10 min 15 min

or Pints

This document was adapted from "How to Make Jellies, Jams and Preserves at Home." Home and
Garden Bulletin No. 56. Extension Service, United States Department of Agriculture. 1982 reprint.
National Center for Home Food Preservation, June 2005.

Have patience and give yourself time to learn. Realize

that canning is a lot like other kitchen tasks, it gets
easier every time you do it.

Canning Grape Jelly Lesson Plan page 6 Nebraska Extension 2022