Homemade Grape Conserva

Hello All,

Welcome back to Nonnina's Kitchen! Today was a big day in our household, it was jam making day. This weekend Nonnina and Nonno went to Niagara on the Lake to get some fresh wine grapes. While Nonno is in the process of making wine, Nonnina is very busy turning those juicy grapes into jam made ESPECIALLY for her traditional  Celli pieni cookies and other cookies that have jam.  This is a very special recipe that's been passed down to Nonnina from her mother who used to make this back home in Italy.

What makes this jam so different from store bought jam is that you buy a special type of grapes which are Alicante grapes and you do NOT use any sugar.  The italians call this jam "Conserva" meaning conserve which is exactly what this jam is - strictly preserved grapes.  Although you can use this jam on toast and other things, it is specifically made to fill italian cookies

Ingredients:
That's the best part about home made jam, there's only one ingredient!
GRAPES!
The grapes however MUST be Alicante grapes (the same ones you use to make wine) this cannot be made with regular grapes.

Directions:

1. Thoroughly wash all the grapes in a large bucket 

NONNINAS TIP* making jam is messy so it may be a good idea to make them outside or in a garage

2. Pick off all the grapes from the vine and put them in a strainer

3. Strain the water out of the grapes and put them all into a large pot.

4. Put the pot of grapes on a portable stove, somewhere that you can leave it for about 2 and a half hours at medium heat stirring frequently.  

5. Remove the grapes from the pot and put the compote through a food mill to remove all of the seeds. 

NONNINA'S TIP* you want to make sure that you're only removing the seeds because the skin is what makes the conserva nice and thick.

6. Put the juice and skins back in a large oven proof pot and put it in the oven at about 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 hours, stirring frequently.

7. Remove the conserva from the oven and let it cool over night.  Once cooled pour into the jars and boil them in a pot of water for 20 minutes to seal them.

NONNINA'S TIP* you can also pour the conserva into the jars straight from the oven, in which case you do not have to boil the jars afterwards.

Don't forget to follow my blog and stay tuned because we will be making Nonnina's traditional Celli Pieni just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving!

Buon Apetito!

With Love From, Nonnina!