Huntsville gazette., 1881-08-06
How to Make Jellies.

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Only the best quality of fruit should be
selected for preserving-that which is
ripe but not overripe. This caution is
especially necessary in preparing jelly.
The gelatinous substance of the fruit
grows watery with age, and in spite Of
all efforts jelly made from too ripe fruit
will not storm" Currant jelly is usu-
ally the first preserving done. Straw
berries are often neglected, as they are
an extremely delicate fruit to keep
through the hot weather. Currant jelly
making is one of the most delicate culln-
ary arts. 1t requires care, skill and at
tention to the smallest details. Without
| this the jelly may come, but it will be
dark and stringy, and fiavo less, or,
most humiliating of all to the house,
keepers pride, it may be thin. If the
jelly does not s'form" in one night, there
is little use in working over it. The
currants have been overripe or the juice
has been cooked too long. 1t will grow
little thicker if it is set in the sun for
day OF two, covered with pieces of glass,
but jelly once thin will never form right
ly and no care can remedy the mistake.
| Speed is of the greatest consequence
in all preserving, as the natural flavor
of the fruit is more readily saved. The
old-fashioned method of squeezing the
Juice from the unheated fruit and boiling
it down to thick conserve is happily
abandoned now by all intelligent house,
keepers. Place the currants, which may
be stewed if you wish, though it
is not necessary, in stone jar and set it
in pot of cold water, which should be
placed on the fire. The stone jar should
be covered tightly and be little higher
than the rim of the pot, so that no
steam can get to the currants. Cook
them in this way thirty minutes after the
water begins to boil Then break the
fruit with potato beetle and strain
through a flannel bag. Do not squeeze
the currants too hard,as the jelly will be
cloudy if you do. 1t is better to press
the juice out with a press. To every
pint of juice allow a pound of sugar.
Put the juice over the fire in a porcelain
lined kettle and let it cook gently fifteen
minutes after it boils. Then add the
sugar; stir to dissolve it as quickly as
possible, and at the first boiling remove
the kettle from the fire and fill the bowls
or tumblers you have in readiness.
These should be standing in a pan of
boiling water, to prevent their being
cracked by the hot jelly. Opaque
bowls or Jars. are better to keep jelly
than tumblers, as they exclude the light.
A bowl makes prettier mold for the
table. 1t is well to put a specimen of
the jelly in tumbler to examine its
clearness and color.
Many housekeepers prepare current
jelly spiced to eat with mutton and other
meats. This is easily done by adding
tablespoonful of cinnamon and one of
mace, tied in bag, to the juice when
when you put it on to boil. Before you
add the sugar take out the bag of spices,
add tablespoonful of cloves, which may
remain in the jelly, as they look pretty
floating in the clear crimson foam.
Black current jelly is excellent, and is
made in the same way as red currant.
The amateur cook may fail in her first
currant jelly, but she will be sure to sue
ceed with grape or ounce jellies. They
are much more easily made and can
scarcely fail to be firm and fine. Grapes
are made into jelly in the same way as
currants. The fruit should be only just
ripe, and green grapes, just before they
turn, are often used. The most delicious
grape jelly is made of the large. fox
grapes common in thickets in New Eng
land. Plum jelly is made like grape,
and damson or green gage plums are
used.
Ounces and crab-apples seem made
for jelly. They cannot be preserved
without their syrup running to jelly
around the fruit. Select the ounces,
slice and core them, but put them all to-
gether over the fire;s cook till tender,
allowing cup of water to every five
pounds offruit. Press out the juice, and
to every pint of juice allow pound of
sugar, and proceed as with currant jelly.
For crab-apple jelly, choose the best Si-
berian apples, cut them in half--do not
peel or core-place them in stone jar
set in water in the same way as currants,
but let them remain on the back part of
the range, the water slowly boiling around
them for seven or eight hours. Set them
off the stove at night and in the morning
strain the cold juice through a flannel,
boil it down twenty minutes and add
sugar in the same proportion as in cur
rants. Let it boil up and then fill the
bowls.
For peach jelly add three-quarters of
the blanched kernels Of the peach nuts.
After the juice is pressed out allow a
scant pound of sugar to a pound of juice.
Cook the juice twenty minutes, add the
sugar, let'it boil UP once and put in the
bowl. Do not seal up any jelly at once,
but leave it uncovered till the next day,
then place two thin papers dipped in
brandy over it and seal it up with paper
and paste.