Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Do not skip settling and decanting, extrapolate half-gallon jars to other foods, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint, Quart, or Half-Gallon Jars
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
- Processing time
- Pints or quarts 5/10/15 and half-gallons 10/15/20 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the NCHFP source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Extract juice, refrigerate 24–48 hours, carefully decant and filter, then reheat before filling hot.
- Fill pints, quarts, or half-gallons, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- Pints or quarts 5/10/15 and half-gallons 10/15/20 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, nonreactive saucepan or stockpot, preparation tools, jar lifter, and pints, quarts, or half-gallons.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/4 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Do not skip settling and decanting, extrapolate half-gallon jars to other foods, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
About this recipe
Grape Juice is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints, quarts, or half-gallons
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
Pints or quarts 5/10/15 and half-gallons 10/15/20 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Grape Juice — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 24 1/2 lb mature grapes average for a 7-quart canner load
- boiling water just enough to cover crushed grapes
- sugar optional, to taste
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Wash and stem grapes. Crush in a saucepan and add just enough boiling water to cover.
- Simmer slowly until skins are soft, about 10 minutes, then strain through a damp jelly bag or double layers of cheesecloth.
- Refrigerate juice 24 to 48 hours. Carefully pour off clear liquid without disturbing sediment; filter again if desired.
- Sweeten to taste if desired and heat until the juice begins to boil.
- Fill jars immediately, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process pints/quarts 5/10/15 minutes and half-gallons 10/15/20 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve as appropriate for the preserved fruit, or use in breakfast dishes, desserts, sauces, and baking after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Do not skip settling and decanting, extrapolate half-gallon jars to other foods, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
Like apple juice, grape juice has a specific tested half-gallon process.
Troubleshooting
Leave sediment behind when decanting after the 24–48-hour settling period.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
10–22 lb of Berries or grapes per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.