If you live in grape country — and most of us do — May through early July is the best time to make pickled grape leaves to use for dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves, throughout the rest of the year. And just to be clear: When I say “grape country,” I am not just talking about Napa or Sonoma.
You don’t need to use wine grape leaves. Concord grape leaves work fine, as do wild grape leaves — and those grow in most of the United States.
Most grape leaves, wild or domesticated, fit well into pint jars. But sometimes you get some really large leaves that are better for quart jars; I have a Mission grape in my yard that has leaves this large. Use your judgment.
This method for pickled grape leaves in an acidic brine comes from an excellent book on canning, Linda Ziedrich’s The Joy of Pickling, one of the better pickling books to come out in recent years.
A few notes on seasonality: Most people pick grape leaves in late spring, when they are large and still fresh-looking. But you can gather them whenever, just so long as the leaves still look nice. The later in the year you gather, the tougher the leaves will be, and the longer you will need to boil them.
You’re general rule is to boil until the leaves turn Army green. This can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Preserved Grape Leaves
Ingredients
- 20 to 40 grape leaves, stems removed
- Salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt to make it taste like the sea. A general rule is 1/4 cup kosher salt to 1 quart of water.
- Get another large pot of water ready -- this is what you will can the grape leaves in. Remember you will need something to keep the bottom of the pint jars up off the bottom of the pot. I use a vegetable steamer, but a bunch of canning lids (the rings, not the gaskets) works well as a platform, too. Get a large bowl of ice water ready.
- Boil the grape leaves for 30 to 60 seconds (see note about older leaves above), then plunge into the ice water to cool. Drain them once the leaves are all cool.
- Take about six grape leaves at a time and roll them up into a cigar from the side -- not the top or bottom. You will need to fold over the leaf end to fit into the pint jars. Pack the grape leaves into the jar, making sure you have about 1 inch of head space at the top.
- Sprinkle the lemon juice or citric acid into each pint jar. Bring the water you used to cook the grape leaves back to a boil and ladle it into the jars. Make sure the grape leaves are covered with the brine. Wipe the edge of the pint jar with a clean towel and seal the jar. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickle Recipes and Preserved Foods
You can find all sorts of recipes for pickled and preserved foods here on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook!
Have you ever tried currant leaves for this recipe? I’m curious if the red currant leaves are edible and can’t find out for sure.
After allowing the jars to cool I noticed that the liquid now only comes about 1/3 of the way up! Will this be okay, or do I need to try re-doing them?
Judy: That’s extreme, but I have noticed over the years that the liquid normally only comes up about 2/3 pof the way. Wonder if liquid flushed out in the canning process?
@Hank, yes, the liquid covered the leaves when I put them in the canning bath. I put the jars in the refrigerator (I made two of them) and will probably use them soon, just in case.
My brine turned pink!
I used pickling salt, citric acid, and bottled water. I processed the jars in a pressure canner at 10psi for about 1 hour. Any idea which factor was culprit?
Guga: Probably the pressure canning. Why did you do that? You can water-bath can grape leaves in brine with citric acid.
Yeah you need to follow canning instructions exactly. Changing methods make it unsafe to eat. This recipe called for water bath not pressure canning.
I know that the tannins in grape leaves can be used to maintain the crunchiness of lacto-fermented vegetables. After processing the leaves with this method, do you know if I can use my preserved leaves for that purpose in future ferments, or does that only work with fresh, raw leaves?
N: I believe it only works with raw leaves.
How long after canning can you use?
Janice: About a year.
How long would they last in the fridge without sealing the jar?
Up to a year, really. The salt and the citric acid will to that for you…
To Adelah Saud,
I found out the hard way that they get very brittle when frozen and need to be protected. Thanks for the reminder of this oh so simple method.
Viva
We store about thirty meals of grape leaves (at least 100) leaves per meal in one gallon freezer bags FRESH AS IS. They last at least one year frozen. We have been doing this method for over thirty years in California and in Palestine without adding any thing & with out boiling them. You just add hot water on the frozen package for it to thaw. They always taste wonderful.
Adelah Saud
Great idea! Just cooked up 50 leaves from the prune today!
Thank you for the recipe works perfect if following right.
Thank you for this information. It was very easy to do. I preserved about 44 leaves in a pint jar this morning. Some of my vines are growing so vigorously that I have had to prune them, and I hated to throw away the nice leaves. We love stuffed grape leaves at my house.
Would you use 1/2 cup lemon juice or 1 tsp. critic acid if using quart jars? Can you approximate the amount of water and salt to use? Thanks so much.
Just paid $20 for two jars of Reese brand at the store. I’ll be making my own from now on!
It’s not 6 leaves per jar, it’s 6 leaves per stack. Then the stack is rolled, cigar-style and the “cigars” are put into the jar. The recipe says it makes one pint, but takes 20-40 leaves, so accordingly, you can put 4-6 rolls in the jar.
Questions: Will any grape leaves work?
Only 6 leaves per pint jar?
S. Yes, and it depends on the size of the leaves.
I know it’s very late in the year – we have concord grapes and they have nice large leaves that appear tender and fresh. Would it be ok to preserve the leaves this time of year, or will they be tough and inedible?
Thanks!
Susie: They might work. Maybe boil them a little longer than in the directions?
I am wondering if bottled lemon juice will work?
just wondering….use either lemon juice or citric acid correct? not both?? thanks
Debbie: Yes, no need for both.
I did not boil my leaves before placing in the brine by mistake! First time I’ve worked with grape leaves and I thought I could just do a quick pickle. Will they be edible still in 2weeks time as stuffed grape leaves?
Annie: You’ll find out. Honestly, I am not sure. They won’t be toxic, but grape leaves sometimes have yeasts on them, so you might get a ferment. Keep an eye on them.
When using a quart jar how much lemon juice does one add to the bottle of leaves. Also how much salt does one add, kosher or sea salt?
You can also preserve after cooking the leaves in brine under cold pressed EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Pat the leaves(water leads to bacteria growth) dry prior to placing them into a glass jar that has a proper rubber gasket seal and sieve press to weigh upon the leaves so they remain submerged. When done properly you can keep in cool dark steady temperature storage outside the fridge. When you go to use the leaves ALWAYS remove from the oil using wood chops stick, or tongs do not use your fingers for it will introduce bacteria into the jar. Depending the grape you will find the leaves with induce flavor into the oil and as you use the leaves us the oil as well for salads, cooking etc. Another method to brine is placing the leaves under sea salt ie. capers, olives etc. Make sure to use non iodized sea salt.
Do you think lime juice would be a good replacement for lemon juice?
Jennifer: It will work fine, but the flavor will be a bit odd, considering grape leaves are mostly used in Mediterranean dishes, which rarely use limes.
Thankyou for your information on processing grape leaves.fantatic
Merhaba. Ben turkiye de yasiyorum. Uzum baglarim var ve salamura yaprak uretiyorum. Arastirin ve dunyadaki en lezzetli yaprak bizde. Tokat salamura yapragi
unroll 2 pickled grape together leaves on baking pan.. (2 layers per unit)..
make a line of smoked oysters down the middle..
add hot pickled pepper rings..
shake lots of parmesan around the perimeter..
add flakes of blue cheese..
maybe add bits of crisp bacon..
Bake…
side soup dish:
tin mushroom soup, mixed with tin tuna..
add 5th cup pickle juice from pepper rings..
1 cup butter milk..
lots of fresh ground black pepper..
do not add pepper rings unless you want it to be over the top HOT..
toast black pumpernickel to slightly crisp..
add butter, anchovy paste, and orange marmalade…
Thanks, I made these a few nights ago after work, hardly took any time at all, was so quick and easy. only made 2 pints from my backyard grapes. Haven’t tasted them yet, but if they’re as good as their aroma, then I will be making lots more.
I appreciate this simple recipe. In an attempt to consume invasive plants, I’m going to try this recipe with kudzu leaves.
For many years I have stacked 20 – 30 leaves with 1/2 ” stem left on. After washing them I stack them and roll them. Place several rolls into a Jar side by side. Pour the boiling water over them with Lemon Juice and salt in the jar. Seal them and process them. The stems give you something to hold onto when you seperate the leaves when you use them. Snip the stem just before rolling when making the stuffed grape leaf or leave on rolled grape leaf. any not used should be refrigerated. Seems like many recipes make it labor intensive. I personally do not find it necessary. You can purchase jared Grape Leaves for about $6.00 LB. I question the wisdom of doing your own, other then the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Plus, you had pick ALL the leaves you are using. Much better quality.
My grape leaves are all jarred do I need to refrigerate them?
Allen: Did you can them with the water bath method? If so, then no. If you did not seal the jars in a boiling water bath, then yes, you do need to refrigerate them.
Hank, I am impressed yet again by all the wonderful goodies you have to offer!! I’ve been wondering since Christmas if we could make Dolmas with large spinach leaves too (thinking grape leaves would be difficult to procure–but I see I’m incorrect on that, yay!). Any opinion about brining and canning big spinach leaves in the same fashion as above?
Hi Hank
Recipe sounds perfect. Are the leaves then ready to use? I assume they are. Thanks
Yep. They are ready to use after this.
Hi, I have preserved leaves and today I need to make dolmas. Do I have to boil the leaves before starting to stuffing and rolling them?
Thanks
They should be pliable enough to fold as-is, so you shouldn’t need to boil them first. But if they keep breaking, I’d blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two.
Thank you for yet another great recipe. I am out in the country in Northern CA and we have so many beautiful grape leaves on four big vines. This recipe was simple, and I ended up making a quart and two pints of them! I wish I had picked more! They are almost done in the water bath as I am writing this. I can’t wait to prepare them with some of our grass fed lamb!! Wondering if I could use some ground venison for dolmas as well?
Thanks, I wasn’t clear on that. Appreciate the quick response.
How much lemon juice per pint, please? I know spring leaves would have been more tender but curious to try this.
1/4 cup, as it says in the recipe.
Hi, In western Canada it can often be found in grocery stores like Superstore and Save-On.
Kathy: By your email it looks like you are in Canada. Can’t help you with a specific place, but look in Mediterranean and Lebanese markets.
I would like to know where I can find pickled grape leaves in a grocery store. Which grocery store would carry them?
I made these tonight – also 3 pints – and they took less than an hour, including picking and cleaning the leaves. Looking forward to using some and taking the rest to a barter event.
What a great recipe! I have such a lot of wild grapes along in my yard. What a good idea about the lids in the bottom of the pot.
I tried this recipe today, altogether including picking time, I believe it took me 1.5hours for 3 pints. Now if they taste good, I will definitely use this recipe again!