120 | Blue Ribbon Cook Book

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR JELLY MAKING

1. Select clean, sound fruit, that is rather under-ripe (more pectin is found

then).

2. Wash and cut large fruit into small pieces, but do not peel or core.

3. Put in kettle, and if fruit is very juicy add but little water — about 1 cu

to every 4 quarts of fruit. If fruit is not juicy, almost cover wit
water.

. Cook slowly until fruit is soft. Mash with potato masher.
- Pour fruit into jelly bag of flannel or heavy cotton wrung out of hot

water. Let drain over night. Do not squeeze the bag as this forces
out the pulp, and makes the jelly cloudy.

. Test for pectin to see if there is enough to make a good jelly.

(a) Mix 1 teaspoon of alcohol with 1 teaspoon fruit juice. If there is a
heavy precipitate it contains much pectin, and the maximum amount
of sugar may be used — 1 cup to 1 cup juice. If there is only a little
pees. it will collect in small particles and juice may have to be
boiled down. With a lighter precipitate use ¢ cup sugar to 1 cup
juice.

(b) Mix 1 teaspoon juice with 1 teaspoon sugar and } teaspoon Epsom
salts. Stir until salts are dissolved and let stand 20 minutes, when
mixture should jell if there is sufficient pectin. —

. Boil fruit juice from 8 to 12 minutes. Skim well; measure juice.

. Heat the sugar in oven while juice is cooking, as cold sugar delays boiling.

Leave oven door open, and stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Measure sugar and add slowly. to the cooked fruit juice. Stir until
sugar is dissolved.

. Boil from 3 to 10 minutes, until test for jelly appears.

(a) When two drops form side by side on edge of spoon, or when jelly
breaks off when dropped from a spoon, it is cooked enough.

(b) Place a drop on a cold plate; if it thickens it has cooked sufficiently to
jelly. Too long boiling destroys the gelatinizing power of the pectin,
and may cause sugar crystals to form in jelly.

(c) The thermometer should register 218 to 221 degrees F. This is the
most accurate test.

10. Pour jelly into heated sterilized glasses; fill to within } inch of top. Let

stand in a sunny place to set. Cover with melted paraffin. Another
method is to place a square of paraffin in bottom of glass before
pouring on jelly. This will melt and rise to top.