, 1923-11-07
MAKE A%PPLE-PECTIN
EXTRACT FOR JELLY
Fruit Should Be Solid, Tart and
Free From WormhoIes and
Other BIemisheS.

prepared by the linked States Department
of Akriculture.)
Attractive jellies Of good flavor are
secured by the use Of pectin extracts
| with such materials as Strawberries,
| rhubarb, ripe red and black raspber-
ries, fresh or canned pineapples,
peaches, and cherries; and the yield
Of jelly is equal to that obtained from
fruit Of the best jellylng quality.
Pectin may be extracted at home
from apples or the white peel of Or
anges and lemons, and stored in steri-
lized containers until wanted for use
In Jelly making. The United States
Department of Agriculture gives the
following directions for making apple
pectin, which Is useful in making a
great many fruit jellles:
The fruit should be firm, free from
decay and ~wormholes, tart. and hard
| ripe rather than mealy. Apples which
do not bring the highest market prices
because of surface blemishes and de-
fOrmities, and sound culls, are often
entirely suitable for the making of
pectin extracts. The apples should
be cleaned by thorough scrubbing;
they need not be cored or pared, but
stems and imperfect spots should be
removed. A considerable amount of
pectin Of very satisfactory quality can
be extracted from the cores and par
lngs alone, but this extract does not
have such a pleasant flavor as hat OBJ
tnined from the whole apples.
Convenient quantities to use are
four pounds Of apples and four and a
half pints of water. Slice the apples
thin; this Is better than passing
them through a meat grinder. since
finely ground apples darken very
quickly, and impart al unattractive
color to the pectln extract. Place in
a granite saucepan large enough SO
that the whole mass can be brought
quickly to boiling. Cover the pan and
utes. Rapid boiling is recommended.
When the boiling is finished, strain the
mass through foul thicknesses Of
cheeseclOth until the juice ceases to
drip. 1t Is not advisable to squeeze
the bag; but the pomace. or pulp. may
be lightly pressed with a spoon. to
ward the end of the dripping period, to
force the flow Of the last drops OF the
Juice. When dripping is complete, re-
move the pomace from the bag, weigh
or measure 1t, return 1t to the auce-
pan, and add an equal quantity of wa
ter. Boil again for 20 minutes. and
strain. The first two ~extractions
should together amount to about three
quarts. Mix them together in q wide
granite pan. such as a dish PAN, large
enough so that the liquid will not be
more than two inches deep. Heat rap
idly until the liquid is reduced to one
fourth Of Its original volume. or to
about n and a half pints; this usu-
ally requires from 80 to As minutes.
The concentration should be carried
on rapidly, since II Is easy to injure
the pectln II the boiling process con-
tinues for several hours.
If 1t Is desired to preserve the pectin
extract for use with fruits which come
at another season, 1t should be poured
while boiling hot Into clean jars or
bottles which have been standing in
boiling water, and sealed at once. II
large amounts Of Jelly are to be made
at n time. the pectin extract may.
Of course, be stored In Jars Of any con-
venient size. Otherwise small bottles
holding about n gill or one-half cup
full are recommended. In order to do
away with the necessity for relocating
the extract or reprocessing a jar to
prevent spollage. each time a part Of
the contents is removed.