Grape Fudge

This is a spiced grape condiment rather than any kind of candy i-- the sugar and vinegar carry it to a thick, jammy set meant for the meat platter. The critical step is the strain: everything before the sugar is cooked and pushed through a sieve, so skins, seeds and whole spices never reach the jar.

• Half a peck of grapesA peck is eight dry quarts, so half a peck is four quarts of grapes, roughly 5 to 6 lb. "Blue grapes" most likely means Concord or a similar slip-skin American variety, tart and strongly aromatic, though the recipe does not specify.
• The spicesA quarter pound of stick cinnamon is a substantial quantity, the exact number of sticks depending on their size, and the allspice is whole berries, not ground. Tie both in cheesecloth so the strain is simple, and taste as it simmers rather than committing to the full quantity if your spices are fresh and potent.
• Crush before heatingCrush the grapes in the pot as they warm, with the vinegar and grape juice, and bring the mixture up gently until the skins collapse; crushing speeds the release of juice.
• StrainingPush the cooked pulp through a food mill or a fine sieve, not a jelly bag i-- you want the pulp, which is what gives this body. Discard skins, seeds and the spice bag.
• The 25 minutesTiming alone is unreliable; what matters is that the mixture reaches roughly 220F, or sheets from a spoon. Below that it stays syrupy, and much above it turns stiff and dull once cool.
• SealingOpen-kettle filling of hot jars was standard practice when this was written. Current preserving guidance is to fill clean hot half-pint jars, leaving a quarter inch of headspace, and process them in a boiling water bath; the vinegar and sugar make this a high-acid preserve, but a water bath is what protects the seal from surface mold.
• Yield and servingYield depends on how far the mixture is reduced. It suits ham, pork, cold roast beef and game, and holds up next to a strong cheese.