Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1916-05-05
PRACTICAL TALK
ON JELLY MAKING
Miss Mary Lock, In Charge Of Girls
Canning Clubs, Gives Useful
Information.

A woman telling me of her progress
IN conserving her supply of fruit for
winter use told of her experiences
with the green mustang grape. She
had failed with her jelly.
me grapes IRE now In a state In
which the seeds are not noticeable.
after cooking, and are in the proper
stage for making pies and preserves.
This season when our fruit is SO
scarce we should use all the even
common fruits which, when we have
bountiful crcp neglect We need in
our diet more of the different fruits
for from these come one of the min.
eral sales 'so/ necessary to perfect
health.
When | suggest the making of the
green grape preserves TO some wo-
men they object, saying It takes too
much sugar. This may be overcome
by the addition of soda, which nu.
tralizes the acid making less of sugar
necessary.
! explained to the woman of the
Jelly failure that fruit so young as
grapes now are the jelly making prop
erty has not yet developed. That
the essential substance for jelly max
ing Is pectin, carbohydrate similar
to starch In nautre, as like starch 1t
Idissolyes IN water and cooking sauses
iit to take on water which increases
its amount and gives II the jelly max
| ing properties.
The starch In very young fruit is
not soluble. but as the fruit comes
to maturity and is just underripe, the
pectin is at its best. In too ripe
fruit the pectin has changed into SUI
gar so we would say. select your fruit
for jelly making when II Is just un-
derripe, and this Is the ideal time OF
the mustang grapes life. Select them
when the skin is just pink and you
will have no dissagreeable acid and
the flavor will be delicious.
Jelly may be made after the grapes
are ripe, but will be very dark and
you will have none OF the bright
sparklingness of the underripe grape
jelly. A correct proportion of fruit
juice and sugar is necessary; not
enough sugar makes a tough Jelly,
while too much produces a soft jelly
and may form crystals. For most of
juices rich in pectin and acid one cup
OF juice and one cup OF sugar are
used. A good test for pectin is to take
one tablespoon OF the fruit juice and
one tablespoon alcohol, pour into an
other receptacle II the fruit juice
comes out as one clot II is evidence OF
plenty pectin. II partly clotted but not
in one body you have not so much pee
tin. Use equal parts of juice and
sugar when you have a good pectin
test. When not so much pectin use
one cup juice to three.fourths cup OF
sugar, or less sugar according to pee
tin test. Boil juice down before add. I
Ing sugar when n smaller amount Of
sugar is used. When boiling fruits TO
extract Juice do not add too much
water. For the jucier fruits add Just
enough water to prevent burning. 4
about one cup to one gallon OF fruit.
For the less Juicy ones, add water TO
nearly cover.
II you have fruit rich in pectln anl
acid you may boil to extract Juice tine
second and even the third times. max.
Ing a separate test each time. II you
happen to have a. fruit deficient In
either pectin or acid they may be
supplied from other sources. It has
been found that the white skin OF or.
lnges, just under the yellow. is very
rich In pcctin also the meat OF the
ritron melon and II these are added
while boiling to extract juice. will add
This quality to any fruit juice.
For the fruits which are deficient
IN acids. for example peach. sweet.
apple and pears. add the juice OF
some apples or other acid fruit Juice
md your product will be a good Jelly.
4 good test for Jelly is to take out a
small amount ON cold silver spoon,
irop from the side OF spoon and n
mixture jclls and breaks from spoon
{ has been cooked enough. Remove
rom fire nj once.