Muscadine Jam Recipe – My Little Green Garden (2024)

I went to an event that I enjoyed so much that I had to share the experience and the muscadine jam recipe that I made afterward! Gardeners, foodies, and families looking for something new to do will enjoy this U Pick Muscadine vineyard during the month of August.

What I enjoy most about gardening is getting to eat what I grow. So of course, any opportunity to check out fruit or vegetables that someone else is growing is a fun experience for me!

U Pick Muscadine Experience

I saw this event posted on social media for U Pick Muscadines. Thompson’s Nursery and Vineyard is located in Valrico, FL, and muscadine picking is open to the public during August. The location was easy to get to and the vineyard was well maintained for visitors to go strolling through the rows and picking the different varieties that they had.

Having never had muscadines before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised at the flavor, and how different they are from table grapes you buy at the grocery store. They’re both sweet and tart. The thick skins come off easily and are easy to chew. I thought the thick skins meant they’d be tough, but they weren’t.

The whole muscadine is edible except for the 3-4 seeds in the center. I personally preferred the flavor of the dark red ones, but I picked a handful of the lighter ones as well.

I enjoyed the overall experience and would recommend this to anyone who likes muscadines. Or someone who has never had muscadines and would like to try something new. I ended up getting 2 pounds and a fun experience to share. The only bad part of the experience was that I didn’t get more! I’ll be getting a whole lot more next year for my muscadine jam recipe!

While the muscadines can be eaten right off the vine (and a few were!), I decided to make jam out of mine. And I’m so glad that I did! The jam I created is tart (I personally prefer tarter jams and preserves) and the flavor was amazing! I actually prefer the jam more than eating the grapes raw.

If you’re in the central Florida area, I hope you go check out Thompson’s Nursery and Vineyard! They typically open the last week in July and then for the rest of August.

Muscadine Jam Recipe Ingredients:

(Makes 3 half-pint jars)

2 pounds of muscadine grapes
3/4 cup of sugar
3 tbsp of lemon juice
3 tbsp of classic pectin

Muscadine Jam Recipe Directions:

First, you’ll want to wash your jars, lids, and bands, and warm them. I used Ball half pint jars. I use Ball jars for everything – pickling, preserving, salsa, dried spices from my garden. They’re great and they hold up for a long time. The only thing you have to replace periodically are the lids for sealing. Those should only be used once if you’re going to process the jar (to store 6+ months on the shelf with your delicious creation). And those can be bought separately.

I also use some other cookware for preserving. There’s a great all-in-one set that I have from Granite Ware. I would recommend it for anyone who’s getting into canning. The tools that come with it are helpful for removing your jars and keeping everything sterile without burning yourself in the process (which I need!). I like the pots because they’re tall enough to fully submerge the jars.

Moving right along you’ll want to mix the 3 tablespoons of pectin with 3 tablespoons of your sugar. This will help prevent clumping when you add it to your jam. Set aside the rest of your sugar.

Rinse your grapes. Cut the grapes in half and peel off the skins. Separate the insides of the grapes and the skins into two separate bowls. Puree skins with a food processor or blender. I used my NutriBullet.

In one pan, warm the pureed skins for about 10 minutes.

In another pan, simmer the insides of the grapes. Cover with a lid for 15 minutes and then start to mash the grapes until soft and tender.

Strain the insides of the grapes and remove the seeds. A food mill also works great for this and makes the process less manual.

Add all of the grapes to 1 pan along with the pectin mix and lemon. Bring slowly to a hard boil, and stir constantly (about 15-20 minutes). A hard boil is one that can’t be stirred down.

Do a sheet test to see when the jam is ready. Use a cold spoon (from the freezer), dip it into the pan, and see if the mixture “sheets” off. When the remaining drops pour off the spoon run together and “sheet” off the spoon then you know your jam is ready.