The Indiana State sentinel., 1893-07-05
HOW TO MAKE IT.
The Whole Art and Mystery of Jelly
Making Fully Set Forth.

The Whole Art and Mystery OF Jeiiy-
Making Fully Set Forth.
Currants and small soft fruits in
tended for jelly-making should not be
gathered Immediately after rain, for
the juice is then less rich, and less full
of flavor. Fruit that is dusty is not in
jured by being rinsed quickly in and
out Of cold water, but if it is gathered
during rain it will be impoverished.
Hard fruits, indeed, such as apples
and ounces, must be boiled with a lit
tie water to draw out the juice; and so
great an authority as Francateli is of
opinion that half a pint of water should
be put into the kettle with twelve
pounds of a soft fruit like red currants,
TO help 10 make the Juice flow. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that this is not quite
the same thing as gathering fruit dur
ing rain, because in wet weather fruits
absorb moisture and il is, therefore,
more difficult to make jelly from them.
Fruit that is to be used for jelly should
be dealt with as soon as possible after II
is picked, as it deteriorates in quality
with keeping. The methods of drawing
out, or, as il is called of expressing the
juice of fruit, are very simple. Perhaps
the most satisfactory way is TO put the
fruit (from which all blemishes have been
removed into jar, cover Ii closely, and
set 1t in a Stewpan or copper, with water
which will reach TO quite two-thirds Of
the height. Then steam gently until the
juice flows freely. A quicker way is to
put the fruit into a preserving pan, and
stew IT gently, stirring IT WELL until it
has dissolved. A third plan is to set ii
in a cool oven until it attainS the desired
condition. Whichever method is adopted,
ii is to be remembered that the Juice Of
soft fruits is not at this stage to be
cooked, 1t is merely to be made to flow.
Fruit jnice that is to be converted into
superior jelly should not be squeezed or
pressed, but simply allowed TO drip. The
cloth or bag used for straining may be
made of flannel or of coarse linen towel
ing: either will do so long as perfect
cleanliness is secured. If there Is
pressure the fruit pulp will make sort
Of filter. which will help TO clear the
juice. Nor need there be any waste of
juice, If plenty Of time be allowed for
straining. 1t is a good plan TO express
the juice as soon as the fruit comes
in. then leave 1t to drip all night. 1t is,
perhaps, scarcely necessary to add that
the JUICE should be allowed to drip into
a basin or earthenware bowl, never into
tin vessel. for the action of tin would
be injurious both to color and flavor.
Only the best loaf sugar should be
used for making jelly. There is no econo-
my in using common sugar; IL contains
impurities which must either be removed
in the form of scum or which will spoil
the jelly. For ordinary fruit juices the
quantity of sugar required is one pound
to pint of juice This is the trough
and ready" rule generally accepted by
jelly-makers, and it is a fairly safe one
although experience teaches that fruits
which yield a thick juice Qike black
currants, blackberries and quinces) are
more deicate if a smaller proportion of
sugar be used. If little water be put
with the fruit when the juice is ex-
pressed, IL amounts TO the same thing as
using rather less sugar. Green grapes.
on the other hand, need one and half
pounds of sugar to a pint of juice The
grape is sometimes very difficult to man.
age, and yet it yields most excellent
and delicious jelly. much approved by
epicures.
The sign which usually decides that
jelly is sufficiently boiled is that the
preparation shall set in a couple of min
utes after being dropped upon a cold
plate The test is excellent for insuring
the Jelly being sufficiently boiled: un-
fortunately sometimes it leads to over
boiling. Another test is to boil the Jelly
until the surface is covered with scum;
when SKINNED IL is ready. But the best
test of all is the following: When jelly
begins TO boil skim on the froth as it
arises. When il has boiled with the
sugar about ten minutes (having been
boiled without the sugar Of course for