have a jammin' weekend

Ok, so that post title is a little cheesey... but, really I'll be jammin' out this weekend with all the wild and delicious concord grapes Hero Hubby and I have been harvesting from the backyard grapevines this week. There's nothing like homemade jam (remember this post?) to use in recipes, give as gifts, or simply to spread on toast. I like cutting down the sugar a bit for a tarter taste. Happily, I will fill up many of the empty glass jars I have stored away - some are just too pretty to recycle! Add a bottle (or two!) of my new wine-crush, Baker's Dozen jammy cabernet, and my jammin' weekend will be underway. But, it would not really be jammin' weekend if it were not for the aural gems of Moby Grape in the bluesy/jazzy jam session album, Grape Jam. Not the most mainstream stuff, but worth the price tag to get this on CD. I'll have to dust off the ole' itunes playlist for these guys and have a truly jammin' weekend.

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs Concord grapes, stemmed
2.5 c sugar
2 tbls fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Chill 2 small plates (for testing jam).

2. Slip skins from grapes and purée skins with 1 cup sugar in a food processor, then transfer to a 4- to 6-quart wide heavy pot. Stir in lemon juice, peeled grapes, and remaining 1.5 cups sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently and skimming foam, until pulp is broken down, about 20 minutes. 

3. Force jam through fine sieve set over the pot. Discard remaining solids. 

4. Cook at a slow boil, skimming foam occasionally and stirring frequently as mixture thickens to prevent scorching, 35 minutes, then test for doneness.

5.To test jam, drop a teaspoonful on your chilled plate and chill 1 minute. Tilt plate: Jam should remain in a mound and not run. If jam runs, continue cooking at a slow boil, testing every 5 minutes, until done, up to 25 minutes more.

recipe adapted from epicurious