Proportion of Fruit Juice and Sugar. — A correct propor- tion of sugar to juice is necessary; not enough sugar makes a tough jelly, and too much produces a soft jelly and may form crystals. For most juices rich in pectin and acid, 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice is used; currants and grapes demand this proportion. Some fruits; as, crab apple, sour apples, cranberries, and raspberries, require less sugar, and the proportion of ^ cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice is usually correct. If fruits contain a large amount of water and the pectin test shows a small amount of pectin, use less sugar. For the second and third extractions, which contain more water than the first, the juice should be boiled down quickly until the pectin test shows up clear, when the usual proportion of sugar may be used. This jelly should be as clear as that from the first extraction. Making the Jelly. — Measure out the sugar into a granite pan and put into the oven to heat. Leave the oven door open and stir the sugar occasionally to prevent burning. Pour the fruit juice into the preserving kettle and bring to a boil. Too long boiling destroys the gelatinizing power of the pectin and may also cause crystals of sugar to form in the jelly after it stands. The time necessary for boiling varies with the proportionate amounts of sugar and pectin JELLIES. MARMALADES. AND PRESERVES 205 in the juice. Where much sugar is used, less time is taken, and thin juice deficient in pectin requires longer cooking. Remove carefully all the scum that rises to the top of the boiling juice and from around the edges of the kettle. After the juice has boiled 10 to 12 minutes add the hot sugar slowly, stir occasionally to prevent burning, and continue the boiling until the test shows sufficient cooking to "jell" the mixture. Test for Jelly — Take up a small amount of the hot mixture in a cold, silver tablespoon and drop it from the spoon. If the mixture "jells" and breaks from the spoon, it has been cooked enough. Remove from the fire at once. Filling Glasses. — Sterilize jelly glasses in the same manner as fruit jars, and when the jelly is ready set the glasses in a pan containing a little hot water, to keep them, from breaking when the hot jelly is poured in. With a cup or pitcher fill each glass to within a half inch of the top. Let the jelly stand in a sunny place several hours to set. Then, to exclude molds, cover with hot paraffin, with circles of white paper cut to fit the glasses and dipped in slightly beaten egg white and water or alcohol, or with hot tin covers. Wipe off the glasses with a damp cloth, label each, indicating the kind of jelly and the date, and set away in a cool, dry place. Causes of Poor Jelly. — Failure may be due to one or more of a number of causes, which must be discovered by tests. Fig. 32. Jelly, properly sealed and labeled. 206 DOMESTIC SCIENCE The following are the important causes: — 1. Fruit juice contained too little pectin or not enough acid. 2. Too much or too little sugar may have been used. The error is usually on the side of too much. 3. The jelly may have been boiled too long or not enough. PRESERVES, JAMS, AND MARMALADE Preserves, jam, and marmalade are made from the fruit pulp and juice cooked thick with from ^ to its whole weight of sugar.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Proportion of Fruit Juice and Sugar. — A correct proportion of sugar to juice is necessary; not enough sugar makes a tough jelly, and too much produces a soft jelly and may form crystals. For most juices rich in pectin and acid, 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice is used; currants and grapes demand this proportion. Some fruits; as, crab apple, sour apples, cranberries, and raspberries, require less sugar, and the proportion of ^ cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice is usually correct. If fruits contain a large amount of water and the pectin test shows a small amount of pectin, use less sugar. For the second and third extractions, which contain more water than the first, the juice should be boiled down quickly until the pectin test shows up clear, when the usual proportion of sugar may be used. This jelly should be as clear as that from the first extraction. Making the Jelly. — Measure out the sugar into a granite pan and put into the oven to heat. Leave the oven door open and stir the sugar occasionally to prevent burning. Pour the fruit juice into the preserving kettle and bring to a boil. Too long boiling destroys the gelatinizing power of the pectin and may also cause crystals of sugar to form in the jelly after it stands. The time necessary for boiling varies with the proportionate amounts of sugar and pectin JELLIES, MARMALADES, AND PRESERVES in the juice. Where much sugar is used, less time is taken, and thin juice deficient in pectin requires longer cooking. Remove carefully all the scum that rises to the top of the boiling juice and from around the edges of the kettle. After the juice has boiled 10 to 12 minutes add the hot sugar slowly, stir occasionally to prevent burning, and continue the boiling until the test shows sufficient cooking to "jell" the mixture. Test for Jelly — Take up a small amount of the hot mixture in a cold, silver tablespoon and drop it from the spoon. If the mixture "jells" and breaks from the spoon, it has been cooked enough. Remove from the fire at once. Filling Glasses. — Sterilize jelly glasses in the same manner as fruit jars, and when the jelly is ready set the glasses in a pan containing a little hot water, to keep them, from breaking when the hot jelly is poured in. With a cup or pitcher fill each glass to within a half inch of the top. Let the jelly stand in a sunny place several hours to set. Then, to exclude molds, cover with hot paraffin, with circles of white paper cut to fit the glasses and dipped in slightly beaten egg white and water or alcohol, or with hot tin covers. Wipe off the glasses with a damp cloth, label each, indicating the kind of jelly and the date, and set away in a cool, dry place. Causes of Poor Jelly. — Failure may be due to one or more of a number of causes, which must be discovered by tests. Fig. 32. Jelly, properly sealed and labeled. The following are the important causes: — 1. Fruit juice contained too little pectin or not enough acid. 2. Too much or too little sugar may have been used. The error is usually on the side of too much. 3. The jelly may have been boiled too long or not enough. PRESERVES, JAMS, AND MARMALADE Preserves, jam, and marmalade are made from the fruit pulp and juice cooked thick with from ^ to its whole weight of sugar.

Domestic science, principles and application