Directions

To Prepare the Juice for the Jelly

1. Thoroughly rinse the scuppernongs, remove the stems, and discard any blemished fruit.
2. Add the scuppernongs (plus a very small amount of water to prevent scorching) to a large pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Use a potato masher to crush the scuppernongs as they cook.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Pour the mixture into a large jelly bag or cheesecloth, that you can suspend over your pot to let the juice strain back into the pot. Allow the mixture to drip at least 6 hours, or overnight. (This amount of scuppernongs should yield at least 6 cups of juice.)

To Make the Scuppernong Jelly

1. Bring 6 cups of the scuppernong juice to a rolling boil and stir occasionally.
2. Add in the sugar, stirring to dissolve.
3. Boil at high heat, reaching 220 degrees Fahrenheit, until jelly thickens. Perform the Spoon Test – Dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling jelly mixture and lift the spoon out of the steam so the mixture drips off the side. As the syrup boils and turns to jelly, the drops will become heavier and will drop off the spoon two at a time. When the two drops form together and “sheet” off the spoon, the jellying point has been reached. (Credit)
4. Remove from heat and quickly skim the foam off the top if desired.
5. From here, you can ladle your jelly into clean jars and place in them in the fridge or freezer, or move onto the next section to make your jelly shelf-stable.

To Jar The Jelly: Shelf-Stable Process

1. While you’re preparing your jelly:
   • Sterilize your canning jars by boiling for a full 10 minutes. (At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 ft. elevation.) Sterilized jars can remain in the hot water until they are ready to be filled.
   • Separately wash your lids and bands with warm soapy water, fully rinse, then place in a pot of water, but do not boil. Bring to just under a boil for 10 minutes.
   • Fill your canner with enough water so that it will cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Preheat to 180F so the jars don’t crack.
2. Ladle the hot jelly into the sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4 inch space at the top of the jar (this is the headspace). Aim for this exact amount of headspace to ensure your lids will properly seal after the water bath.
3. Wipe the jar rims with a clean damp towel to clean off any jelly residue. This will help ensure the lids seal.
4. Remove lids from the hot water with a magnet tool (to keep sterile), place on jars, and screw on the bands. The bands should be finger-tight (in other words — tight, but don’t over-tighten).
5. Using tongs, place the jelly-filled jars on the rack in your water canner. If they’re not submerged, add water. Cover the canner with its lid.
6. Bring the heat to high and process the jars in the water canner at a full boil for 5 minutes. (See altitude chart below. If you’re located at over 1000 feet elevation, you’ll need a longer processing time.)
7. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
8. Using tongs, transfer the jars to a towel to cool for 12-24 hours.
9. Once cool, remove the outer bands and visually inspect the seal for leakage. If the jar sealed properly, the metal lid will be slightly concave. (If you see leakage or a poor seal, just store that one in your fridge or freezer.)
10. Store the sealed jars in cool, dry, dark place.