164 



HOME PRESERVING AND CANNING 



jellies. Good results may be obtained from combi- 

 nation of fruits, one giving consistency, another 

 flavor. 



Just what the changes are that take place in the 

 transformation of hard fruits into sparkling jellies 

 does not appear to be fully settled by the chemists. 

 Referring to the group of carbohydrates known as 

 " pectin bodies," or " pectose," Dr. Robert Hutchi- 

 son says, " These are the substances which give to 

 fruits their power of forming jellies when boiled, 

 and little is known of their exact chemical nature, 

 but they appear to be converted into a special kind 

 of sugar when digested (pentose), which is at least 

 partly assimilable by the body." At present the 

 general opinion seems to be that the pectose, 

 insoluble in unripe fruits, under the influence of a 

 ferment-like body called pectase, which is present 

 in ripening fruits, or of acids and heat, becomes 

 pectin, a soluble substance which stiffens the 

 juices and produces the compound we know as 

 jelly. As Miss Parloa says, " Pectin is at its best 

 when the fruit is just ripe or a little before. If 

 the juice ferments, or the cooking of the jelly is 

 continued too long, the pectin undergoes a change, 

 and loses its power of gelatinizing." 



By continued evaporation of certain fruit juices 

 containing much pectin, jelly may be made without 

 addition of sugar. Currant jelly may be made by 

 combining the warm juice and warm sugar without 

 further cooking, placing the glasses where sunlight 

 will do the remainder. 



The effect of a damp season may be seen in 

 jellies. There appears to be less of the jellying 

 property, more boiling is needed to evaporate 

 moisture, and there will be more shrinkage of the 

 jelly in the glass afterwards. 



The apple may be used to illustrate the general 

 process of jelly-making, since that contains a 

 large proportion of the pectosic principle, and 

 having a less distinctive flavor of its own may be 

 combined with more expensive fruits, as the pine- 

 apple, to produce satisfactory results. A gooi\ 

 supply of jellies may be secured from different 

 varieties of apples alone, the different kinds 

 ranging from the pale color of the Porter to the 

 deep red of some winter varieties, with flavors as 

 unlike as the shades of color. The fruit is cleaned, 

 quartered and cooked in water until soft, but no 

 longer. The average proportion is one quart of 

 water to two quarts of apples, but this varies with 

 the juiciness of the apples. The cooked fruit must 

 drain without pressure. One simple old-fashioned 

 way to accomplish this is to spread a square of 

 cheese-cloth over a large agate or earthen pan, 

 pour the hot fruit into this, tie the opposite cor- 

 ners of the cloth together, and hang over a strong 

 stick placed across two chairs so the juice will 

 drip into the pan. Better than chairs and stick is 

 a strong bird-cage hook in the wall over the 

 kitchen table; or the cheese-cloth may be laid over 

 a hair sieve which is set in a pan. The frame of 

 the sieve will raise the fruit out of the juice. The 

 cloth should always be moistened before the fruit 

 is put in it. 



Jelly-making is seldom as successful in damp 



weather as on a clear, bright day, for evaporation 

 is slower. Sugar is peculiarly affected by the 

 weather and, though in less degree, some of the 

 same difficulties attend jelly-making as the manu- 

 facture of candy. On a clear, windy day evapora- 

 tion is rapid and less boiling is required. In mid- 

 summer, bacteria are so active on some of the hot, 

 muggy days, that it is almost impossible to make 

 everything sterile. 



The juice must be measured and boiled rapidly 

 in a shallow kettle. It is often more satisfactory 

 to boil lots of one or two quarts than in larger 

 quantities. The process is hastened by heating in 

 the oven for ten minutes the nearly equal weight 

 of sugar, while the juice is boiling on the top of 

 the stove. When the sugar will hiss as it meets 

 the liquid, it is put in, stirred till blended, and the 

 whole boiled for about ten minutes more. Careful 

 skimming at intervals is essential to secure a clear 

 jelly, for if the froth once boils in, the jelly, even 

 if strained afterwards, will never be quite clear. 

 The time and the general appearance of the jelly 

 tell us when to stop. If uncertain, single drops on 

 a cold surface will show the consistency. 



Strain the jelly quickly through a new wire 

 strainer into a pitcher and pour from that into the 

 final receptacle. Tumblers are generally preferred, 

 giving a good form for the table, but tin covers 

 are undesirable. When the jelly is cold and firm, 

 melted paraffine may be poured over till one-fourth 

 inch thick. One thinner layer may be allowed to 

 cool, and then the remainder poured on will cover 

 any cracks. Papers dipped in alcohol or brandy, 

 laid directly on the jelly, will prevent mold, but a 

 layer of absorbent cotton or batting is an addi- 

 tional safeguard, and strong paper may be pasted 

 over all. 



Jellies crystallize because of excess of sugar or 

 too hard boiling. A temperature even 2° higher 

 will make the color darker, and cause a loss of 

 flavor in the jelly. 



Fruit syrup. 



Jellies that do not stiffen properly, and any sur- 

 plus syrup from preserves, should be bottled for 

 future use as the foundation of many desserts, 

 such as gelatine or custard puddings, ice creams, 

 and the like. Often several odd lots of fruit juice 

 may be combined for a summer beverage. Occa- 

 sionally it has been found more convenient to can 

 the fruit juice and make jelly at another time. 



Fruit syrups seem to be slowly taking the place 

 of the homemade wines by which our great-grand- 

 mothers set such store. W. M. Williams, in his 

 "Chemistry of Cookery " says, 



" We shamefully neglect the best of all food in 

 eating and drinking so little fruit. As regards 

 cooked fruit, I say jam for the million, jelly for the 

 luxurious, and juice for all. With these in abun- 

 dance the abolition of alcoholic drinks will follow 

 as a necessary result of natural nausea." Yet 

 much of the fruit syrup which has been used in 

 "temperance drinks" was composed of artificial 

 colors and flavors, with hardly a trace of the fruits 

 whose names they bore. Under the new pure food 



