Fixing Jelly That Set Too Hard

I know that this might not be a big help to some, but to those that do canning it might. I canned some grape jelly and could not get it to jell, so I put in 4 boxes of Sure Jel. That was a big mistake. I didn't realize that Sure Jel had a very sour taste til the damage was already done, but I processed the jelly anyway. Needless to say the end product was very solid and sour.

So to fix it I took two half pints at a time and added 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water and heated the whole thing on the stove in a pan, on low heat to boiling. When it was boiling for about 2 minutes (not any longer than 2 minutes), I took it and put it back into sterilized jars and sealed the lids back on and processed in the hot water bath. So what I have got now is a delicious "grape butter" the consistency of apple butter. I read that once something is cooked too hard it cannot be fixed. By taking a chance, I found out that it could be fixed and I didn't have to throw out my jellies.

By Cassie