Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-09-21
Hints about Preserving.

hints ABOUT Preserving
Use only granulated sugar and avoid
that with blush cast.
The utensils used should be kettles,
colanders, and ladies Of porcelain or
granite ware, the spoons OF silver or
wood, earthenware bowls and glass
tumbiers. The jelly should be poured
at once into glasses and allowed to re-
main, as moving about Is apt to disturb
the process of solidifying. The jelly
bag may be made of thin flannel, coarse
linen or fine cheesecloth. 1t Is better
shaped like cone, with Q strong string
or tape run around the neck for suspend
ing It to drip. Do not squeeze unless
you care to take the chance of Its being
cloudy. If you wish to use the remain
der left after dripping squeeze and keep
1t separate for mince meat or any other
culinary purposes where the color does
not matter. The boiling syrup may be
poured directly into glasses without
danger of their cracking If they are
rolled in hot water and then left stand
ing on damp cloth. A silver spoon left
in the glass will also prevent cracking,
as the silver is good conductor OF heat.
If you lack glasses, glass bottles can
be cut down for jelly cups by making a
deep mark with file at the desired
height, then following 1t around with a
hot iron, when it will crack off.
When cooking the juice If it shows
signs of boiling over and the kettle is
too heavy to lift at moments notice a
spoonful of cold water will settle 1t like
magic.
It is good plan to keep special cloths
and holders to use during the jelly max
ing, as the stains are difficult to remove.
In making jelly it must be borne in
mind that the less stirring there is the
better. If stirred too much the jelly
will not be clear, while the tendency of
sugar to granulate is also increased by
stirring.
A good test for the consistency of jelly
when boiling is to let 1t drop from a
spoon. If the last drop sticks to the
spoon it is sufficiently hard.
CANNED PLUMs.
For ordinary use canned plums are to
be preferred to the richer preserved
fruit. For eight quarts of plums allow
four pounds of sugar and pint of
water. Put sugar and water in pre-
serving kettle and bring to boil, skim
ming carefully. Wash, drain and prick
the plums, and put as many in the kettle
as the strip will accommodate without
crowding. Cook five minutes, then fill
and seal the jars. Put more fruit in the
strip and proceed in the same way. II
the strip gives out toward the latter
part of the work, 1t is we'll to have lit
tie extra in readiness on the back of the
stove to finish filling the jars.
PLUM JELLY.
Use for this the fruit that is not per-
feet enough for canning. Cut little
and put in a jar set in larger pan of
water. When thoroughly cooked, so
that the juice exudes, strain and measure
the juice. Allow pound OF sugar to
each pint of juice and put the sugar in
shallow pans in the oven to heat, while
the juice is cooking. Boil just twenty
minutes, add the sugar, stir until dis
solved, take at once from the fire and
pour in glasses rolled in hot water to
prevent their breaking when the scald-
ing liquid is poured in.
DAMsoN CHEESE.
This is an old English preserve that Is
used as a dessert. 1t is made much
sitter than either jelly or jam and keeps
we'll in cool, dry place. Put the fruit
in jar, set in pan of cold water and
bring to boil. Cook until the fruit ia
soft, then run through coarse sieve to
remove pits and tough skins. For each
pound of pulp allow half-pound OF
loaf or granulated sugar and cook to a
thick paste. Crack the pits from some
of the fruit, banch them and add to the
cheese while boiling. When the pulp
clings to the spoon in a mass, cut into
suitable-siZsd pieces and dry.