Because of the large proportion of sugar required in jellies it is not
best to use them freely.
Fruit for jelly should always be a little underripe and should not be
picked just after a rain. Combine the juices of such fruits as do not
jelly easily, or of the more expensive fruits, with apple juice which
jellies the easiest of all. With strong flavored fruits, apple makes
the jelly more agreeable. Jellies may be made in the winter of canned
fruit juices and the juice from apple skins and cores. The addition
of lemon juice to sweet fruits will convert them into jelly-making
products. A few pieces of rose geranium leaves dropped into apple jelly
just before putting it into glasses and removed in a minute, give the
jelly a nice flavor.
Always boil the juice the required length of time before adding the
sugar. It requires longer boiling on damp days.
Heat sugar in flat pan in oven before adding to jelly.
Thorough straining is necessary to make clear jelly. For the finest
jelly, use first a double thickness of mosquito netting; then the same
of cheese cloth, and lastly, one thickness of flannel.
Wet the cloth before putting the fruit in, to save the waste of juice.
Hang in a warm place to drain.
It is said that if a little jelly dropped into cold water falls
immediately to the bottom, the jelly is done; or, if it jellies on the
spoon it is done.
Glasses for jelly may be set cold on a cold cloth, or warm on a warm
cloth. Fill to the brim, as the jelly shrinks.
When the jelly is soft, set in the sun for a day or two, covered with
panes of glass. When ready to set away, turn hot melted paraffine over
the jelly. The heat destroys any germs which may have settled on the
top. Cover with paper or with tin covers and set in a dark place. When
using the jelly, wash and save the paraffine.
If jelly is to be moved or shipped, use a covering of ¼ inch of
powdered sugar instead of the paraffine.
Or, cut rounds of toilet paper, two for each glass, large enough to
overlap an inch; dip one at a time into a saucer of cold boiled milk,
cover glass and press down, then put on the second piece quickly.
One thickness of Manila paper may be used instead of the toilet paper.
When dry, a thick parchment-like cover will be formed and the jelly
will keep well. Some housewives cover jelly while hot, thinking it
keeps better.
=To Make Jelly Tumblers=
Soak a cord in turpentine, tie it tight around bottles and set fire to
the cord.
=Currant Jelly=
Wash and drain currants. They are usually left on the stems but strain
more easily if stemmed. Crush the berries, a few at a time and throw
into the preserving kettle. Do not add any water. Set on back of
range and heat slowly to nearly, not quite, boiling. Strain, measure
juice, return to kettle and set over fire. At the same time put into a
moderate oven in broad bottomed pans, sugar in the proportion of ¾-1
pt. to each pint of juice (¾ is sufficient). After juice begins to
boil, boil 20 m., skimming as the scum rises. Add hot sugar, stir until
sugar is dissolved, remove from fire and put at once into glasses.
⅓ white currants may be used with red.
A thinner jelly to be used with meats and over puddings underneath the
meringue, may be made with ½ pt. of sugar to the pint of juice.
A little celery salt may be added when jelly is to be used with meats.
=Currant and Raspberry Jelly=
⅔ currant juice and ⅓ raspberry or ⅓ currant and ⅔ raspberry makes a
delightful combination.
=Black Currant Jelly=
Prepare stemmed currants as for red currant jelly. Use ¼ to ½ cup of
water to each quart of currants and ¾ pt. of sugar to a pint of juice.
10 m. boiling is sufficient.
½ or ⅔ apple juice will make a more delicate flavored jelly.
=Jelly of Apple Parings and Cores=
Measure skins and cores by pressing firmly into the measure. Add ⅓ (no
more) as much water as of fruit--you will think it is not enough. Boil
20 m., stirring often. Strain. Measure juice, boil 20-30 m., according
to juiciness of apples, skimming. Add ½ as much sugar, hot, as of
juice, boil 5-10 m., or until foamy. Put at once into glasses.
If apple jelly is as thick as desired when it first cools, it will be
too thick after standing a few days. If apples are very juicy, use only
one-half as much water.
=Apple Jelly=
Wash apples and cut into quarters or eighths. Do not pare or core. Add
¼ as much water as of apples in the kettle. Cook, stirring occasionally
until apples are tender, not too soft. Finish as in jelly of parings.
It is difficult to give the exact time for cooking, as apples vary
in jellying properties. Use less water if apples are very juicy. One
quince to every 10 or 12 apples gives a nice flavor. A few green grapes
combined with apples or crab apples make a nice jelly.
Crab and Baldwin apples may be combined.
=Apple and Cranberry Jelly=
Stew 1 qt. of apple parings with 1 cup of cranberries and a pint of
water until tender. Strain. There should be about ¾ of a pint of
juice. Boil 5 m.; add ¾ pt. sugar, boil 2-4 m. Or, use 1 doz. large
tart apples to 1 qt. of berries, or equal parts apple and cranberry
juice. Proceed as in other jellies.
=Elder-berry and Apple Jelly=
Cook elder-berries with ½ cup of water to each quart of berries. Strain
and combine with apple juice in the proportion of ⅓ elder-berry juice
to ⅔ apple juice. Use ¾-1 pt. of sugar to each pint of juice. Finish as
for currant jelly. Elder-berries alone make a strong flavored jelly,
but this combination is delightful.
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, wild cherries,
pineapple, barberries, peaches, plums and some other fruits, all make
better jelly by combining with apple juice in proportions according to
flavor. Use no water with any of the fruits but the apple.
Currant juice may be combined with these fruits instead of apple juice.
=Green Gooseberry Jelly=
2 qts. berries, ¾ qt. water; stew, mash, strain; boil 20 m. for each
quart of juice, add 1 qt. of hot sugar, boil 2-3 minutes.
=Quince Jelly=
Wash quinces, cut into quarters or eighths, remove part or all of the
seeds, use ⅓-½ as much water as of fruit and ½ as much sugar as of
juice. Cook and finish as apple jelly.
⅓-½ apple juice with quince is better.
=Cranberry Jelly=
Use one cup of water to each 4 qts. of cranberries; cook until the
berries are tender, strain and use equal quantities of sugar and juice.
Boil the juice 10-12 m., add the sugar hot, stir till it is dissolved
and turn the jelly into glasses or a mold. The jelly may be molded in a
shallow pan and when perfectly cold cut into cubes.
=Jellied Cranberry Pulp=
Rub stewed cranberries in the preceding recipe through the colander,
boil 8 m., add sugar, stir carefully until dissolved, mold.
=Jellied Cranberry Sauce=
1 qt. berries, 1 pt. sugar, ½-1 cup water. Pour water over berries with
sugar, in kettle, cover, cook 10 m. without stirring. Put into large or
individual molds. Unmold at serving time.
=Blueberry Jelly=
If berries are very dry, add a little water, heat, strain; use ½-¾ as
much sugar as of juice.
=Blueberry Jelly No. 2=
4 qts. berries, 1 cup water; cook and strain, add 2 tablespns. of lemon
juice to each pint of juice. Cook 20 m., add ¾ as much sugar, hot, as
of juice, boil up well, pour into glasses.
=Grape Jelly=
Wild grapes are preferable, but underripe Concords, Catawbas, and other
varieties may be used.
Proceed as for currant jelly, using only ⅔ as much sugar as of juice.
If necessary, boil 5 m. after sugar is added. Use no water with
cultivated grapes, but with underripe wild grapes, ½ cup of water may
be added to each quart of stemmed grapes.
=Raspberry and Currant Jam=
Take ¾ their weight of sugar to berries. Mash berries in kettle over
fire, add 1 pt. currant juice to each 2 qts. of berries, cook until
thickened, 40-45 m., stirring and skimming, add sugar hot, boil, put
into glasses or seal in jars.
=Strawberry Jam=
Allow ¾ their weight of sugar to berries; cook in a little of the
sugar, stirring, 20-30 m. Add remainder of sugar hot, cook 10-20 m., if
necessary. Small berries may be used for jam.
=Gooseberry Jam=
Press the juice from 3 oranges and shave off the rind, being careful
not to get any of the white part. Remove blossoms and stems from 5 lbs.
gooseberries, seed 2 lbs. of raisins, and chop all together very fine.
Add 3-4 lbs. sugar and the orange juice and cook slowly for an hour.
Turn into jars or tumblers and when cold spread a layer of powdered
sugar on top of glass and seal.
=Mrs. Chandler’s Rhubarb Jam=
3 lbs. (3½ qts.) of rhubarb in inch lengths
1½ lb. (3 cups) sugar
½ lb. of figs or raisins, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup water
Let rhubarb and sugar stand together over night, add other ingredients
and cook slowly for about 3 hours.
=Rhubarb and Pineapple Jam=
6 lbs. (7 qts.) rhubarb in inch lengths
1 large pineapple, grated
3 lbs. (3 pints) sugar
Cook rhubarb and sugar ½-¾ of an hour, add pineapple, boil up, put into
jars, seal.
=Melrose Apple Butter=
7 lbs. pared, quartered and cored apples, 3 lbs. molasses sugar if
obtainable, if not, dark brown sugar. Put apples and sugar in layers in
a kettle, cover tight, let stand 12 hours or over night. Then let come
just to boiling and simmer without stirring, or uncovering for 5-12
hours.
Apple juice made by boiling the skins of apples in ⅓ their bulk of
water, as for jelly, with lemon juice to taste, is a valuable addition.
Finely-ground coriander seed may be added. A little date or prune
marmalade may also be used.
A delightful butter may be made by combining plums and apples.
=Elder-berry and Apple Butter=
To each 2 qts. of elder-berry juice prepared as for jelly take 2 lbs.
brown sugar and ½ peck sour apples. Put juice and sugar on to boil and
add the apples pared, quartered and cored; simmer slowly until thick.
May be put into jelly glasses.
Equal quantities tomato and apple make a nice butter.
=Grape Marmalade=
Pulp the grapes and put the skins through the food cutter. Cook the
pulp and rub through the colander to remove the seeds. Take ½-¾ as much
sugar as there is of fruit, cook 20 m. The skins improve the flavor.
=Lemon Peaches=
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
peaches to fill 3 pint jars
Wash and rub the peaches well, drop into boiling syrup of lemon juice,
sugar and water, cook until tender, put into jars and seal.
=Ripe Cucumber Pickles=
Pare and seed cucumbers and cut into eighths if large. Soak over night
in lemon juice and water; in the morning drain, add to hot syrup and
boil until soft; skim out of syrup and put into jars standing in hot
water. Keep hot. Boil syrup 10-15 m., pour over fruit and seal; let
stand three or four weeks before using.
_Syrup_--
3 cups brown sugar
3 cups lemon juice
1 cup water
½-1 tablespn. salt
Flavor with celery salt or seed, ground coriander or anise seed, and
raisins to taste. (Use anise seed sparingly). The cucumbers may be
steamed tender, put into jars and the reduced syrup poured over.
Watermelon rind may be prepared the same.
=To Dry Blueberries=
For buns, puddings and cakes.
1 qt. berries
⅓-½ cup sugar
1 teaspn. water
Mix, heat in preserving kettle until juice begins to exude. Spread on
buttered plates, dry carefully, stirring often.
I prize this recipe highly, as all will, I am sure, after trying it.
Cherries, peaches and pears are better with sugar sprinkled over them
before drying.
Dried fruits make a pleasant change from canned ones, besides not
requiring jars. Home-dried fruit far excels factory products.