In this article I’m excited to share a unique and straightforward canning project with you: canning grapes. If you’ve ever wondered how to can grapes, you’re in the right place!
Now granted, canning grapes isn’t nearly as common as canning something like peaches or pears. But think about it. . . Most of us grew up eating fruit cocktail. And grapes are one of the fruits included in fruit cocktail, so it makes perfect sense to can them separately.
This easy canning project is perfect for anyone looking to preserve the freshness and flavor of grapes for later enjoyment.
How to Can Grapes (Video)
Canning Grapes Step-by-Step
The recipe I’m using is approved by the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (Amazon), ensuring that it is safe and reliable.
Ingredients and Preparation
To begin, you’ll need an average of 14 pounds of grapes for a canner load of seven quarts or nine pounds for nine pints.
I’m making five pints, and I used a little less than three pounds of grapes. I recommend purchasing a pound of grapes per pint, just to be on the safe side. After all, you can always eat fresh or freeze or dehydrate any fruit that don’t fit into the jars.
For the best quality, choose unripe, tight-skinned, preferably green seedless grapes harvested two weeks before they reach optimum eating quality.
This is great advice if you grow your grapes. However, if you buy grapes from the store like I do, just use the freshest ones you can find.
The Process for Canning Grapes
Canning grapes is an easy and straightforward process. Here are the steps you need to take.
Step 1: Stem and Wash the Grapes
First, stem and wash the grapes. Since I tend to do my canning first thing in the morning, I did this step the night before. I kept them in the fridge overnight.
Step 2: Prepare the Syrup
I typically like to can fruit in a light syrup. If you’re trying to avoid sugar, and wonder if you can just skip the syrup, and use plain water instead, the answer is yes.
Contrary to popular opinion, according to The Complete Guide to Home Canning Put out by the USDA (Amazon), sugar, in and of itself, doesn’t prevent fruit from spoiling. However, using syrup when canning grapes, is still recommended. Here’s why:
Adding syrup to canned fruit helps to retain its color, flavor, and shape. It does not prevent spoilage of these foods.
The USDA Complete guide to home canning (Amazon)
Check out this table from the National Center for Home Food Preservation Preparing and Using Syrups for Canning Fruit for the proper ratio of water and syrup based on how light or heavy you want the syrup to be. In my case, I used 3 3/4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to make enough light syrup for five pints.
To prepare the syrup, bring the water and sugar to a boil until the sugar dissolves completely. Turn off the heat, and put a lid on the pot to keep the syrup hot while you do the next step.
Step 3: Fill the Jars
When canning grapes, you can opt for either a hot pack or raw pack method. I prefer the raw pack method.
When raw packing, fill the hot jars with grapes and hot syrup, leaving one inch of headspace.
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Be sure to debubble the jars, and then check to make sure there is still 1″ of headspace. Add more syrup to the jars if needed to come back up to 1″ headspace.
Wipe the rims, and put on the lids, fingertip tight.
Step 4: Water Bath or Steam Can the Grapes
Now it’s time to fire up your water bath or steam canner! Whether you’re water bath or steam canning, process the jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
As an example, due to my altitude, I need to add five minutes to the processing time, and therefore canned these for 20 minutes. If you’re unsure of your altitude, or how to adapt canning recipes based on your altitude, check out my article, How Altitude Impacts Canning.
After processing, let the jars cool for 12 to 24 hours before checking the lids to make sure they sealed.
The Finished Product
These are one of my favorite fruits, and they are also a favorite of my husband’s. The thought of having them readily available in our pantry is delightful. Plus, this process is one of the easiest canning projects you can undertake.
This easy canning project is a fantastic way to preserve this classic fruit, especially if you find them on sale.
Enjoy the convenience of having canned grapes on hand for snacking or adding to recipes.
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Have you tried this yourself? Have a question or tip to share? Leave a comment below — your experience or question could help someone else, too!