Preserving Grape Juice with Honey

One large stainless steel pot (say 10L)
Preserving jars, well washed and dried and put in the oven to sterilise.100 degrees C for at least 20 minutes.

(Check jars for any cracks or chips around the top)

Pick grapes and pluck them off the stems.
Wash grapes and put in a large bowl.
Crush grapes well using your hands or use a potato masher.
Pour crushed grapes into a large pot (crushing is important to increase the yield of juice)
Add ½ cup water.
Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer until you can’t easily identify individual grape pulp and until the seeds have separated. This could take 30-40 minutes.
Once the grapes are cooked sufficiently, ladle them into the cheese cloth straining bag, which is positioned over a large bowl. Most of the juice flows through quickly. Store in fridge overnight.
Hang the straining bag overnight, above a bowl to catch a residual amount of juice.
After all the juice is strained, measure it by volume as you transfer it into a large pot.
Estimate how much honey needed for the total quantity of juice (refer above).
Add the honey to the grape juice. Bring juice to the boil. Gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour the simmering juice into a hot sterilised jar.
Fill jar completely to overflowing.
Use a sterilized seal to place on the jar.
Screw down firmly with a clean preserving ring.
Complete the process one jar at a time.
Leave the jars undisturbed for a few hours until completely cool.
Remove the preserving rings. Check to see that each jar is fully sealed.
Wash each jar carefully, dry and store in a dry, cool place.
When serving the juice it may be diluted with a little cold water.

Preserving Grape Juice with Honey – Overflow method