FRUIT JELLIES

also clear the jelly with whites of eggs. But if juice is properly strained and skimmed this should not be necessary. A German method of making is to let the apples boil untouched until they break, then set away in the kettle, if it can be spared, otherwise iii an earthen bowl, for three days ; then drain without pressing, add a pound sugar to every pint juice, and boil three-quarters of an hour. Fill glasses, and cover. Some economical housekeepers pare and core the ai)ples and do not strain so closely but that thev mav be used for sauce or pies. If the flavor of lemon is liked boil half the peel of one with every two dozen apples, but lemon juice is thought by some to render the jelly muddy and thick ; when used strain it in just before jelly is done. "^If the "jelly is wanted light colored peel the apples. Apple jelly, ornamented'^ when put into the molds with preserved greengages or other preserved fruit, turns out very prettily for dessert. Apple jelly is also made very delicious by the addition of orange and lemon iuice, equal parts of both, in any proportion liked, half and half, or one-fourth orange and lemon to three-fourths apple juice.

Crah- Apple Jelly . — ^\'ash and quarter large .Siberian crabs, but do not core, cover to depth of an inch or two with cold water, and cook to a mush ; pour into coarse cotton bag or strainer, and Avhen cool enough, press or squeeze hard, to extract all juice. Wring a piece of fine Swiss muslin or crinoline out of water, spread over col- ander placed over a crock, and with a cup dip juice slowly in, al- lowing plenty of time to run through ; repeat this process twice, rinsing out the muslin frequently. Allow the strained juice of four lemons to a peck of apples, and three-quarters of a pound sugar to each pint juice, though some use a pound sugar to pint juice. Boil the juice from ten to twenty minutes ; while boiling sift in the sugar slowly, stirring constantly, and boil five minutes longer. This is generally sufficient, but it is always safer to try it, and ascertain whether it will jelly. This makes a very clear, sparkling jelly. The l)ulp may be made into jam or marmalade. For Transcendent Crah- Apple Jelly, prei)are the transcendent or any variety of crab- a]iples as Cultivated Wild Plums, adding flavoring of almond, lemon, })ea(h, pine-apple or vanilla to the jelly in the proportion of one teaspoon to two pints, or more if wished stronger, just before it is done. Or make without flavoring.

Dried Apple Jelly. — Wash carefully two quarts dried apples and let soak in soft water to cover for half an hour ; put on to cook in same water, adding if needed moie to cover, and cook two or three hours ; strain the juice, and to every pint add three-quarters pound sugar and juice of two lemons ; boil till when tested it will jelly, then finish as directed. Some add a few raisins to apples when cooking.

Api'icot Jelly. — Take out stones from two quarts apricots, cut in small pieces, and lay them in preserving-kettle with a clove, well

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pounded, and juice of half lemon ; cover with water, set on moderate fire, and boil slowly till well cooked. Strain, and when juice is all squeezed out, put it in kettle with three-quarters pint sugar to every pint juice ; boil till it jellies.

Blackherry Jelh/.— Select nice, not over-ripe berries, and pre pare as directed for all jellies in preface, allowing three-fourths as much sugar as juice, though some use pint for pint. Others prefer to use the berries while still red, but the jelly from fruit in so green a state will wholly lack the delicious flavor of that made from the ripe berries.

Cherry Jelly.— Stone and stem a quantity of best cherries, and to every four pounds add one pound red currants ; put into preserv- ing-kettle, place over the fire and reduce all to a mash, stirring all the while with the wooden spatula. Strain by pressing through a hair sieve, and filtering through a jelly bag. To each pint fruit add three-quarters pint or a pint sugar as liked. Place again on fire and boil to a jelly, removing the scum, and fill glasses or jars. A very nice jelly, and excellent for flavoring summer drinks.

Cranberry Jelly. — Prepare juice as in general directions, add one pound sugar to every pint, boil and skim, and test by dropping a little into cold water. "When it does not mingle with the water it is done. The pulp may be sweetened and used for sauce. Instead of squeezing to obtain juice some prefer to let the cooked fruit hang in the jelly bag to drip overnight. Then proceed as directed for all jellies.

Currant Jelly. — Do not pick from stem, but carefully remove all leaves and imperfect fruit, place in a stone jar and follow general directions, allowing for each pint juice a pint sugar. Some use a pound sugar to pint juice. Or weigh the fruit and to each pound allow half the weight of granulated or pure loaf sugar. Put a few currants in porcelain-lined kettle, and press with potato-masher, or anything convenient, in order to secure sufficient liquid to prevent burning ; then add the remainder of fruit, and boil freely twenty minutes, stirring occasionally, to prevent burning. Take out and strain carefully through the three-cornered strainer above mentioned, putting the liquid into either earthen or Avooden vessels. AYhen strained return liquid to kettle, without trouble of measurnig, and let it boil thoroughly for a moment or so, skim well and add the sugar, which has been heated as directed in preface. The moment the sugar is entirely dissolved, the jelly should be done, and must be immediately dished, or placed in glasses. It will jelly upon the side of the cup as it is taken up, leaving no doubt as to the result. Blackherry and Strawherry Jelly are made by either of above meth- ods, and a very finely flavored jelly is obtained by mixing red rasp- berry and currant juice, two parts former to one of latter. Make

440 FRUIT JELLIES.

Blach Currant Jelly as above, using only half pound sugar to pint juice. Or if the currants are wished for jam or to dry take pint cur- rants, picked off stem, pint sugar, place in kettle on stove, scald well, skim out currants, strain juice aud cook until it jellies. Dry cur- rants on plates, or make into jam, adding half pint sugar Avith one- third currants and two-thirds rasi)berries. \Mien currants are dried i)ut in stone jars and cover closely.

To extract currant juice without boiling fruit, crush the fruit with the hands in large earthen bowl, about a quart at once. Pour the currants into the strainer, and when all crushed and draining, stir them about with the hand and squeeze the thin juice from them ; then take about a pint and a half of the crushed fruit at a time in a strong towel and squeeze ; the thick juice that comes at the very last it is well to put aside for currant shrub ; the first can be used with that already strained for the jelly. A jelly of a, prettier color is ob- tained by mixing the white and red currants, half and halt. Some take the trouble to make jelly from the white and red currants sep- arately, then harden it in successive layers in glasses. For the pro- cess see directions given for making Ribbon Jelly. Another pretty arrangement is to melt jelly before serving, add little dissolved gelatine, jnit in mold and set in ice-box or cool place to harden. Some housekeepers report excellent success in making Uncooked Currant Jelly: To o-ne pint currant juice from raw fruit, add a pint granu- lated sugar; stir the juice very slowly into the sugar until sugar is dissolved, then let stand twenty-four hours and it will be stiff jelly. Turn into glasses, cover with a thin covering and set in the sun two or three days, then cover as directed and put away. Half a bushel of currants makes twenty-two and one-half pint glasses of jelly.

Elderberry Jelly. — One quart elderberries, one pint water : boil together a few minutes, then press through a towel till all juice is extracted ; one quart crab-apples and one pint water boiled to- gether, and juice extracted in same way ; the apples should be cut once or twice through before boiling ; mix juice of both together, and for every pint juice take one pound white sugar and boil about ten or fifteen minutes, till it will jelly nicely; elderberry juice will not ielly when taken alone, but by adding the juice of apples a beautiful jelly is made.

Four-Fruit Jelly. — Take equal quantities ripe strawberries, raspberries, currants, and red cherries ; all should be fully ripe, and the cherries must be stoned, taking care to preserve the juice that escapes in stoning, and add it to the rest; mix the fruit together, put into a linen bag, and squeeze thoroughly ; when it has ceased to drip, measure the juice, and to every pint allow a pound and two Ounces best loaf sugar, in large lumps. Mix juice and sugar together ; put them in a porcelain-lined preserving kettle, and boil for half an hour, skimming frequently. Try the jelly by dipping out a spoon-

FRUIT JELLIES. 441

ful, and holding it in the open air ; if it hardens readily it is suffi- ciently done.

Gooseherry Jelly. — To every quart green gooseberries add a pint water and boil until bursting and almost a jam. Then strain and proceed as in general directions, adding a pound sugar to each pint juice. Requires longer boiling than most jellies. Juice may be obtained without boiling the fruit as in Currant Jelly, if preferred, and some let them stand twenty-four hours after cooking before straining, or hang in jelly bag all night.

Orape Jelly. — Prepare fruit and rub through a sieve ; to every pound pulp add a pound sugar, stir well together, boil slowly twenty minutes, then follow general directions ; or prepare the juice, boil twenty minutes, and add one pound sugar to one pound juice after it is reduced by boiling ; then boil ten or fifteen minutes. Or crush the grapes over the fire and do not strain until thoroughly heated through. Or put on grapes just beginning to turn, boil until broken, place in jelly-bag, let drain without pressing and finish as in general directions. Just before jell}^ is done some add a teaspoon dissolved gum-arabic, or a little gelatine, but if fruit is not too ripe and the directions heretofore given have been carefully followed this will not be necessary. Some use pound sugar to each pint juice, meas- ured just after straining. Green grapes, about half ripened, are best for jelly. Wild Grape Jelly is made same way. Some cook the grapes whole, but if first pulped through a sieve, the pulp may be used for jam, marmalade, or be eaten while fresh for sauce at tea.

Muscadine Jelly. — Squeeze skins from muscadines, saving all the pulp and juice, and add to each quart a dozen or twenty of the skins, or enough to give a rich crimson color ; too many Avill make the jelly dark, and if none are used it will have a muddy color. If there is not sufficient juice to prevent scorching add a little water, set on brisk fire and cook twenty to thirty minutes ; take off and strain through flannel jelly-bag, once only ; add pint sugar to each quart juice, return to fire and boil hard twenty minutes without stirring. Test, boiling until it will jelly, and jDut away in glasses.

Peach Jelly. — Crack one-third of the kernels and put them in the jar with the peaches, which have been pared, stoned and sliced, though some prefer not to pare, and simply rub off" the down. Heat in a kettle of boiling water, stirring occasionally until the fruit is well broken. Strain, and to every pint juice add the juice of a lemon. Measure again, and to every pint juice add a pound sugar. Heat sugar very hot, and add when the juice has boiled twenty minutes, and been well skimmed. Let it come to a boil and take instantly from the fire. Very nice for jelly cake.

Pie-plant Jelly. — ^^Vash the stalks well but do not peel, cut in- to pieces an inch long, put them into a preserving-kettle with enough

442 FRUIT JELLIES.

water to cover, and boil to a soft pulp ; strain through a jelly-bag. To each pint juice add pound sugar ; boil again, skimming often, and wlien it jellies on the skimmer remove from the fire and put in- to jars. Or after cut in pieces put in crock with a very little sugar and a few spoonfuls water ; place in oven, cover and cook slowly till soft, strain and to each pint juice take jnnt sugar and finish as in general directions. Some flavor with extract of lemon just ])eforeit is done.

Pine-apple Jelhj. — Pare and grate fruit and to each pound fruit take pound sugar, stir till sugar is dissolved and cook and test as above. Strain into glasses and cover as directed. This is delicious molded and served as a Dessert Jelly, surrounded with sweetened whipjjed cream if liked.

Plum Jelly. — If plums are wild (not cultivated) put in ])anand sprinkle with soda and pour hot water over them, let stand a few moments, then stir once or twice ; take out and put on with water just to cover, or less if plums are very juicy ; boil till soft, dip out juice with a china cup ; then strain the rest without squeezing. Take pint for pint juice and sugar, and boil, test and finish as directed in preface. For Cultivated W/ld Plum Jelly make as above without using soda. Take plums that are left after straining and press through a sieve and take pint for pint of sugar and pulp, boiling the latter half an hour, and then adding sugar, boiling ten or fifteen minutes more. Half a pint sugar to a pint pulp makes a good Plum, Marmalade., and one-third ])int to pint, boiling it longer, is nice canned and used for pies, adding milk, eggs and sugar as for squash pies. Plum-Aj>ple Jelly may be made by preparing the juice of crab-apples and plums as above, mixing the juice in any proportion wished, half and half, or less of either fruit, and finish as in general directions. The marmalade is made in the same way as above. Some add a little ginger root. A bushel apples and peck of plums make forty pints jelly, part crab-apples and part mixed, and sixteen (juart glass cans of mixed marmalade. In making either kind of jelly the fruit may l)e squeezed and juice strained twice tln-ough swiss or crinoline and made into jelly. The pulp can not then be used for marmalade. For a Pich Jfarmalade take the cral)-apples and plain pulp without first straining for jelly and make as in Plum Marmalade.

Quince Jelly. — Rub the quinces 'with a cloth until perfectly smooth, cut in small pieces, pack tight in a kettle, pour on cold water until level with the fruit, boil until very soft but not red ; pour in three-cornered strainer and hang up to drain, occasionally pressing to make the juice run more freely, taking care not to press hard enough to expel the pulp ; some let it hang overnight. To a pint juice allow pint sugar, and boil fifteen minutes, or until it will jelly : pour into tumblers, or bowls, and finish according to general direc-