Principles of Jelly-Making 125 i 



no one of them shows any signs of crystals. Repeated experiments, 

 hov^rever, show that an overproportion of sugar to juice is fairly certain 

 to lead finally to a crystallization of sugar from the jelly. 



Perhaps it should be explained that the object of adding the sugar hot 

 (heated through, not scorched) is that the total cooking process may not 

 be prolonged by a partial cooling, as is the case if the sugar is added cold 

 to the hot juice. In any case the mass should be stirred fairly constantly 

 after the adding of sugar, in order to prevent burning. 



Experiments prove further that it is economy not to make jelly by the 

 long-boiling method, inasmuch as so much sugar is lost thereby in the 

 skimmings. The more thoroughly the juice is clarified by skimming 

 before the addition of the sugar, the better is the method from an econom- 

 ical standpoint. 



acidity of the fruit juice 



The absolute necessity of the presence of pectin in juices to be used for 

 fruit jellies has been made as emphatic as possible. Simultaneously, 

 attention has been repeatedly drawn to the fact that good jelly-making 

 juices are also acidic. The juices that are ideal for jellies are both rich 

 in pectin and fairly acid — for example, currant, partially ripened grape, 

 crab apple, and the like. However, many fruit juices contain the first 

 requisite, pectin, in greater or less quantity, but are deficient in acid; for 

 example, quince, pear, peach, sweet apple, and the like. With these 

 juices, if we choose to do so, we can supplement nature by adding a little 

 acid of vegetable origin (tartaric or citric acid) to the juice. It is difficult 

 to state the exact amount to be added, since juices vary much in acidity 

 even in the same kind of fruit. A fair rule, however, is to add enough of 

 the tartaric or citric acid powder to make the juice about as acid to taste 

 as good tart apples; but before deciding about the taste, care must be 

 taken to see that the powdered acid is entirely dissolved and the juice 

 well stirred. By way of suggestion, add one level teaspoonful of acid 

 powder to a quart of juice; and if examination, as above indicated, shows 

 this amount of acid to be insufficient, increase the amount by small addi- 

 tions until the juice seems satisfactory. Great care, however, must be 

 exercised in any addition of acid (even though it may be the same as that 

 already in the fruit), since such addition invariably aflects the flavor of 

 a delicate fruit. By this method, however, it is possible to make jelly 

 from any pectin-bearing fruit juice; that is, peach and pear jellies may be 

 so made, but the fine flavor of the fruit is invariably impaired. Thus, 

 also, the texture of strawberry jelly is improved by a slight addition of 

 acid, but the same cennot be said of its flavor. Sweet apple and quince, 

 both of which are rich iu pectin — the latter remarkably so — yield jellies 



