Isabella Grape Jam

"I still remember Isabella grapes fragrance released after rain in my grandmother's backyard. We used to play hide-and-seek there under the grand grapevine roof, all around the chairs, running among the Isabella vines and peonies. Is there any such a place left ? Anywhere ? Since I had not experienced that wonderful scent for ages, I started looking for young seedlings to plant on my balcony. Friends took this as a sign I was loosing it but I kept looking around hoping to find one, sooner or later ! My plan was to let it grow around my balcony fence so I could pick the fruits in a few years' time to have for jams and compotes. There is definitely a Guardian Angel taking care of me: my son came home the other day saying that one of his friend was offering me a bucket of the grapes since he knows how much I am into making jams. So, my Isabella grapes arrived out of the blue. I did not even know that these vine grew any more, ans all of a sudden I had the opportunity to get a seedling not even and make my dream come true. Now, it really takes a good hour to prepare several jars of this jam, but I am not complaining. It is important to add a little tip: to separate the grape seeds from liquid easily, place a cheesecloth inside a sieve. The fragrance is amazing. I rubbed lemons over my hands after the job was done while the jam was cooling, so there were no stains on my skin and the grapes' beautiful aroma was captured in full.The feeling: undescribable! In Italy, there is a wine called Fragolino made from this grape variety. It goes well with panetone. So does the jam. Enjoy!"

Preparation Time1 hr

Cooking Time30 min