286 
The Garden Magazine, June, 1924 
or cut in very tiny rings, and arranged symmetrically around the sides 
of the jar. Peas and carrots look well canned together, either in 
layers; or the whole jar carrots, with a layer of peas in the middle. 
Beets will keep their color if blanched with the root and part of the 
top on, then cold dipped, peeled, and canned according to the ap¬ 
proved cold pack method. 
It is wise to cool vegetables which are difficult to keep as quickly 
as possible. One may do this by putting the hot jar in a pan of warm 
water and placing under the cold faucet so that the water will drip 
slowly into the pan (not touching the jar). The cooling will be slow 
enough so that there is no danger of breaking the jar. 
FOR CRYSTAL CLEAR JELLIES 
F YOU are one of those who really enjoy cooking, and occa¬ 
sionally spend a whole morning experimenting in the kitchen, 
taking plenty of time and pains for the sake of results, you can 
turn out some exceptionally attractive jellies and jams. There 
is a clearness and transparency about the well-made glass of 
jelly that puts it in an entirely different class from the careless 
product we often see In the chemistry of cooking there is 
always a surprise to me to find that adding sugar to hot fruit 
juice will result in a perfectly moulded glass of jelly. If you 
examine carefully the blue-ribbon collections at exhibitions you 
will find them often as translucent as colored water. 
A muddy appearance in jelly is caused by: cloudy glasses; 
insufficient draining through too thin a bag; stirring the fruit 
too much when boiling; squeezing it when draining; and by care¬ 
less boiling, especially on a cloudy day. 
Choose the thinnest, clearest glasses you can find. When 
ready for use, polish them with suds and polishing powder, and 
a lintless cloth or tissue paper, until they sparkle. As psy¬ 
chology of appearance plays its part choose glasses of attrac¬ 
tive shape. For exhibition or gifts, 1 always like the tall 
slender shapes. When jelly is to be turned out from its mould 
for special use on the table, a Hatter container is better. 
If the jelly is for exhibition it is perhaps wiser to attempt no 
ornamentation. Use neat attractive labels, and paraffin for 
the seal. If you want the jelly for gifts, or for sale at bazars 
or shops, you may cut white paper rounds a little larger than 
the top of the glass, and decorate them according to your 
artistic ability. A gay ribbon tied about the glass at the last 
minute, with a bright llower tucked in the folds, makes this 
quite a festive gift. 
For the draining bag a heavy substance is best. Canton flan¬ 
nel is probably as good as anything. Remember that this 
differs from outing flannel in that it has a heavy twill on one 
side. Keep the twill outside, so that there will be no fuzz or 
lint in the juice. A light grade of white wash silk is good for 
the last draining. Place the jelly drainer where it does not 
need to be moved at all, and neither stir the fruit when boiling, 
nor squeeze the bag while the fruit is dripping. After you have 
used this first juice for your fancy jelly, boil the fruit once or 
twice so that it will not be wasted, and use it in making “every 
day jelly.” Make all jelly on a clear, sunny day. As practically 
all jelly is made the same way, the directions for the currant 
jelly will do for all. The only difference in the berry and hard 
fruit jellies being that the latter require longer boiling and the 
addition of more water in the beginning, as they are less juicy. 
Currant Jelly: Pick currants from the stem and wash well. Use a 
little less than half as much water as there is 
fruit, and boil without stirring twenty minutes. 
1 prefer a heavy granite kettle, but whatever 
you use, choose nothing which could cause the 
fruit juice to turn dark. Place the fruit in the 
draining bag, and hang where it can drain 
undisturbed for several hours, or better still, 
over night. A little sediment will always form 
in the bottom of the container, so pour the 
juice very carefully into another draining bag, 
discarding the liquid in the bottom. Drain and 
measure the juice and put on to boil. For 
each cup of juice, allow one cup of sugar. Fruit 
for jellies should always be a little under-ripe; 
but if you are using fruit a little riper than it should be, use a little less 
sugar and a little less water when you put it on to boil. Boil the juice 
twenty minutes, and have your sugar heating in the oven. Stir in the 
sugar, and let boil about five minutes. Use vour accustomed jelly test. 
My best guide is the way the jelly boils. If it threatens to rise to the 
top of the pan, and boils in thick, light bubbles it is almost sure to be 
done. Have the heated glasses ready, and pour the liquid through a 
small strainer (lined with thin China silk) placed in the top of the glass. 
This final draining is for the sake of removing any lint or sediment which 
might result from the sugar. Place the glasses in the bright sunlight for 
several days before packing them away. 
For making crab, quince or apple jelly cut the fruit fine, and use 
water until it almost comes to the top of the fruit. Boil until tender, 
the longer the boiling the deeper the color of the jelly will be. If you 
want the jelly as light and colorless as possible cut the fruit fine, and 
boil only a short time. In the case of crab-apples choose the fruit 
which is yellow. If you want the color deeper, choose rosy apples and 
boil the fruit a long time. Wild plums and Japanese plums need 
about the same quantity of water as currants, for they are juicy. 
White and red currant juice may be saved, and mixed half and half 
with those fruits which will not jell without additional pectin. The 
red juice could be added to cherries, strawberries and raspberries, and 
the white currant juice to Royal Ann cherries, white plums, and white 
grapes. Gooseberries, when green, jell well and make a good looking 
jelly. You may also save crab-apple juice to add to fruit juices 
which will not jell. Of course, commercial pectin can be used, unless 
your fruit is to be exhibited and the rules of the contest prohibit it. 
DELECTABLE JAMS AND PRESERVES 
HEN making jams or preserves, one thing in particular 
to strive for, is the retention of color, and in some cases, 
the shape of the fruit. An aid in this is to measure the fruit, 
add the same quantity of sugar, and allow it to stand in a cool 
place for a few hours. The following recipe for strawberry 
preserves will illustrate the method; 
Strawberry Preserves: Use firm, deep red strawberries, and pour 
over them their weight in sugar. Let them stand in a cool place over¬ 
night, or at least several hours. Put them on the stove, and bring 
to a boil, and then remove the berries and boil the juice down until 
it thickens. Again add the berries, being careful not to crush them, 
and boil the mixture until of the right consistency. In making rasp¬ 
berry or black-cap jam, we prefer mashing the fruit, and then following 
the above directions, though of course in this case none of the fruit is 
removed when the juice is boiled. The color of the preserves is deep¬ 
ened by letting them stand in the bright sunshine for several days 
before putting away in the dark. 
Apricot and Pineapple Marmalade: This is an unusually at¬ 
tractive jam for exhibition, and is a favorite in many families. Boil 
two quarts of fresh apricots with half a cup of water to keep them from 
sticking to the pan. When tender press through a coarse sieve, and 
add one large can of shredded pineapple, or the same amount of diced 
pineapple. Use sugar to equal the whole amount of fruit, and boil 
until thick, stirring often to prevent burning. Walnut meats may 
be added just before taking from the stove. White grapes and pine¬ 
apple may be combined in this same way. 
Ripe Gooseberry Jam: Ripe gooseberries make a clear, trans¬ 
parent jam. Stem the gooseberries, and put them on to boil in a 
thick syrup. If you have six cups of ripe gooseberries, use four cups 
of sugar to one and one-half cups of water, and boil until the syrup 
forms a soft ball before adding the fruit. Cook until clear and tender. 
Tomato Preserves: The clear, unusual red of this jam makes it 
look well in an exhibit. Pioneers in the 
new lands where fruit was scarce used this 
so much that they tired of it, but to many 
it is still a delicious luxury. Choose very 
firm, red tomatoes; if possible a large va¬ 
riety which contains few seeds. Peel and 
cut into small chunks, removing the seeds. 
Bring to a boil, and drain to remove 
surplus juice. To each quart of drained 
pulp, add one quart of sugar, and one 
lemon sliced very fine. Boil until a thick 
preserve results. The very small red salad 
tomatoes may be used and preserved 
whole. 
Large mouthed jars with straight sides are especially 
desirable for canning whole fruits and vegetables 
and come in varying sizes from ^ pint to 28 ounces 
