We have had a bountiful harvest of  delicious Concord grapes at the garden this year and Miriam has made a wonderful jam using a mix of Concord grapes and blueberries.  The Jam is truly delicious on fresh baked scones topped with a dollop of double cream. We have included 2 methods of making the jam.  Miriam has had success with the easier method of processing the grapes using a juicer. You could also use a food mill for this quicker method. The choice is yours. The jam is delicious no matter which method you choose.

Concord Grape and Blueberry Jam

Ingredients:

• 1.3 kg Concord Grapes
• 200 g Blueberries
• 4 cups sugar
• 3 strips for lemon zest finely peeled with no pith
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:

Preparation of Jars and equipment

1. Wash 4 x 460ml jam jars, their lids and a stainless steel ladle with hot soapy water, rinsing them well and place the jars on a tray
2.  Place the lids and the ladle into a pan of boiling water turn off and leave on the stove top for the moment
3. Put a small plate in the freezer for later testing

Making the Jam

1. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands from staining and keep a cloth at hand to mop up any spills immediately  because the grape juice stains

Method 1

1. Wash the grapes well and remove the stalks.
2. Use a juicer to process the grapes and squeeze out the pulp to get as much out of it as possible. (You can also use a food mill to achieve this)
3. Continue from step 8 in the following section adding in the blueberries

Method 2

1. Firstly, wash the grapes well and remove from the stalks.
2. Concord grapes are a slip skin variety which makes it easy to remove the pulp from the skin, so press the grapes and squeeze out the inner pulp out into a glass bowl.
3. Reserve the skins in another glass bowl.
4. Place all the pulp in a stainless steel jam pot
5. Bring the pulp to the gentle boil over a medium heat and cover
6. Cook for for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally until the pulp has collapsed.
7. Remove from pot from the stove and set a fine sieve over a bowl and using a spoon push through the pulp. Remove the seeds.
8. Return the sieved grape pulp to the jam pot
9. Add the blueberries, grape skins and the lemon strips and lemon juice to the pot of pulp and bring the fruit to the boil stirring from time to time for about  30-45 minutes to allow the skins to soften and add colour to the pulp, stirring often to prevent burning
10.  While the fruit is cooking put the sugar into a clean wide baking dish and warm it in the oven. (7-10 mins at 110 Deg C).
11. Add the warmed sugar gently to the pot stirring it in well as it is poured in
12. Allow the jam to return to the boil
13. Meanwhile place the tray of washed jam jars into the oven and heat the lids in the pan of water bringing it to the boil and then setting it to simmer
14. Bring jam to the boil
15. Boil the jam rapidly for 10 minutes, stirring
16. Then check the temperature with a candy thermometer. It should reach 105 C.   Take great care when doing this to avoid burns and continue boiling for a further the ten minutes or until the jam sets when tested
17. Test for setting by placing a spoonful on the cold plate from the freezer. The jam should congeal and wrinkle when pushed gently with your finger
18. If it is set carefully ladle into hot jars and seal with sterilized lids.Handle the lids with sterilised tongs and never let your hands touch the inside of the lids

Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Self Raising Flour
• 30 g Butter
• 200 mL milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 250C
2. Sift the flour and salt
3. Using the finger tips combine the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (You can also make the scones using a food processor)
4. Gradually add the milk till the scone dough forms a soft ball.
5. Handle the dough as little as is possible and flatten it out gently with your hands forming  it to a thickness of 2.5 cm
6. Using a floured scone cutter, cut out the scones and place them on a tray that is lined with baking paper, with the sides of the scones touching each other. (this helps them to steady as they rise and preserves their shape)
7. Brush the tops of the scones with milk
8. Place into the oven on the top shelf and bake for 7 minutes
9. Check the colour after this and leave another 2 minutes to brown to your liking if needed.
10. After the colour is perfect cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 5 minutes more
11. Take out of the oven and place in a basket lined with a tea towel or other cloth and cover the basket loosely to keep warm
12. Serve with your Concord Grape jam  and a good dollop of double cream.