Making muscadines into jelly

Binning Farm in Maud passes on sweet knowledge

MAUD, Texas — Taking fruits and making jelly is a sweet way to spend the day.

At Binning Farm in Maud, Texas, Debbie Binning, who runs the farm with her husband Eddie, spent Saturday afternoon teaching others how to make muscadine jelly.

She tracked the consistency of the jelly-to-be, highlighting the things to observe.

“We first squeezed the juice out of the muscadines,” she said. “And we brought it together with sugar and pectin. We then stir and monitor the concoction, waiting for the moment where it will be poured into jars and cooled.”

Pectin is a substance used in jelly making.

“In days before, they did not have pectin,” she said. “Generally, the mixture had to be cooked longer to get the thickening effect.”

She also pointed out that the mixture of fruit juice sugar is also how you can get syrups as well.

As Binning walked the students through the process and fielded questions, she relayed other tips. This included what to do if the mixture seems too runny if you pour it in a jar (put it back in the pot, reheat, maybe add more pectin).

Also, she advised on how to handle the jars.

“You want to warm your jars to prepare them to receive the mixture,” she said. “If the temperature difference between the jars and the mixture is too great, they might crack.”

The Binnings have begun teaching classes out at their farm, imparting knowledge to those who want to try these various practices for themselves.

“I’ve been doing this sort of thing since my 20s,” said Binning. “Eddie and I began running the farm full time after we retired. We want to pass on this knowledge as much as we can, help others learn how to do this.”

Staff photo by Junius Stone ■ Debbie Binning, right, demonstrates jelly making to a kitchen full of students, including Honey Young, left, and Starlet Boswel, Honey’s granddaughter. The Binnings want to pass on their farm knowledge and have found a steady flow of students willing to learn.