JAMS AND JELLIES

■N making jam, the first thing to be looked after is the fruit. As a general rule, this should be fully ripe, fresh, sound, and ^ scrupulously clean and dry. It should be gathered in the morning of a sunny day, as it will then possess its finest flavor. The best sugar is the cheapest; indeed, there is no economy in stinting the sugar either as to quality or necessary quantity, for inferior sugar is wasted in scum, and the jam will not keep unless a sufficient proportion of sugar is boiled with the fruit. At the same time too large a proportion of sugar will destroy the natural flavor of the fruit, and in all probability make the jam candy. The sugar should be dried and broken up into small pieces before it is mixed with the fruit. If it is left in large lumps it will be a long time in dissolving, and if it is crushed to powder it will make the jam look thick instead of clear and bright. The quantity to be used must depend in every instance on the nature of the fruit. Fruit is gen- erally boiled in a brass or copper kettle uncovered, and this should be kept perfectly bright and clean. Great care should be taken not to place the kettle flat upon the fire, as this will be likely to make the jam burn to the bottom. Glass jars or cans are much the best for jams, as through them the condition of the fruit can be observed. Whatever jars are used, however, the jam should be examined every three weeks for the first two months, and if there are any signs of mold or fermentation it should be boiled over again. If you do not use the patent glass jar, the best way to cover jam is to lay a piece of paper the size of the jar upon the jam, to

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stretch over the top a piece of writing paper or tissue paper which has been dipped in white of egg, and to press the sides closely- down. When dry, this paper will be stiff and tight like a di-um. The strict economist may use gum Arabic dissolved in water instead of white of egg. The object aimed at is to exclude the air entirely. Jam should be stored in a cool, dry place, but not in one into which fresh air never enters. Damp has a tendency to make the fruit mold, and heat to make it ferment. Some cooks cover the jam as soon as possible after it is poured out, but the generally- approved plan is to let the fruit grow cool before covering it. In making jam continual watchfulness is required, as the result of five minutes' inattention may be loss and disappointment.

Apricot Jam.

Pare three pounds of fresh, sound apricots, halve them, and take out the stones. They should be ripe enough to halve with the fingers. Place them in a deep dish, and strew over them one pound of finely sifted sugar. Let them remain for eight hours. Then place them with the syrup that will have oozed from them in ? preserving-pan; add a few of the kernels blanched and sliced, anc* another pound and a half of sugar. Let them boil very gently, and, when done, put them into glasses or jars and cover closely with gummed paper.

Marmalades axd Jams. In making marmalades, jams, etc. — If put up in small quantities and for immediate use, three-quarters of a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit is sufficient; but if desirable to keep them longer, a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is a better proportion. As in preserves, the best sugar should be used,

Apple Jam.

Peel and core the apples, cut in thin slices and put them in a preserving kettle with three-quarters of a pound of white sugar to every pound of fruit; add (tied up in a piece of muslin) a few

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cloves, a small piece of ginger and a thin rind of lemon ; stir with a wooden spoon on a quick fire for half an hour.

Blackberry, Raspberry, Curra:nt or Strawberry Jam, May be made by putting into a preserving kettle and boiling fifteen or twenty minutes, stirring often and skimming off any «cum that may rise; then add sugar in the proportion of three- fourths pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Boil thirty minutes Jonger stirring continually; when done pour into small jars or jelly glasses. A good way is to mix raspberries and currants in the pro- portion of two-thirds of the former to one-third of the latter.

Grape, Gooseberry, or Plum Jam.

Stew the berries in a little water, press through a coarse sieve or colander; then return to the kettle and add three-fourths pound of sugar to one pound of the pulped fruit. Boil three-fourths of an hour, stiri'ing constantly. Pour in jars or bowls and cover as directed for other jams.

Apple Marmalade.

Peel and slice the apples; weigh and put into a kettle and stew until tender; wash fine and add sugar in proportion of pound to pound; let them cook slowly, stirring very frequently; be careful not to allow it to scorch; when the mass has a jellied appearance it is done. About half an hour will generally be found sufficient for making the marmalades after adding the sugar.

Orange Marmalade.

Eighteen sweet, ripe oranges, six pounds best white sugar. Grate the peel from four oranges, and reserve it for the marmalade. The rinds of the rest will not be needed. Pare the fruit carefully, removing the inner white skin as well as the yellow; slice the orange; remove the seeds; put the fruit and grated peel in a por- celain or enamel saucepan and boil steadily until the pulp is reduced to a smooth mass; take from the fire and rub quickly through a

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clean, bright colander, as the color is easily injured. Stir in the sugar, retui-n to the fire, and boil fast, stirring constantly half an hour, or until thick. Put while warm into small jars, but do not cover until cold. This is a handsome and delicious sweetmeat.

Pine-Apple Marmalade.

? Pare, slice, core, and weigh the pine-apple; then cut into small bits; make a syrup of a cup of water to two pounds of sugar; melt and heat to a boil; heat the chopped pine-apple in a vessel set within one of boiling water, covering it closely to keep in the flavor; when it is smoking hot all through, and begins to look clear, add to the syrup; boil together half an hour, stirring all the while, or until it is a clear, bright paste.

Peach Marmalade.

Pare, stone, and weigh the fruit; heat slowly to draw out the juice, stirring up often from the bottom with a wooden spoon; after it is hot, boil quickly, still stirring, three-quarters of an hour; add, then, the sugar, allowing three-quarters of a pound to each pound of the fruit; boil up well for five minutes, taking off every particle of scum; add the juice of a lemon for every three pounds of fruit, and the water in which one-fourth of the kernels have been boiled and steeped; stew all together ten minutes, stirring to a smooth paste, and take from the fire; put up hot in air-tight cans, or, when cold, in small stone or glass jars, with brandied tissue-paper fitted neatly to the surface of the marmalade. A large ripe pine-apple, pared and cut up fine, and stirred with the peaches, is a fine addi- tion to the flavor.

Quince Marmalade.

Such quinces as are too knotty and defective to make good pre- serves may be pared and cored, cut into small pieces and put into the kettle with three-quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit; put a small cup of cold water in first to prevent burning. When the quince begins to soften, take a potato masher and mash it

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to a pulp, without taking it from the fire; let it boil gently from fifteen to twenty minutes, not longer than twenty. Take from the fire and put into jars.

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes all make nice marmalades.

Plum Marmalade.

Choose plums that are fully ripe; scald them till the skins peel off, and take out the stones. Allow a pound and a half of sugar to a pound of fruit; let them lie in the sugar a few hours, then boil to a smooth mass.

Pumpkin Marmalade,

Take ripe, yellow pumpkins, pare and cut them into large pieces, scraping out the seeds with an iron spoon; weigh the pieces, and to every pound allow one pound of white sugar, and a small orange or lemon; grate pieces of pumpkin on a coarse grater, and put, together with the sugar, into a preserving pan, the yellow rind of the orange, grated, and the juice, strained. Let all boil slowly, stirring it frequently and skimming it well till it is a smooth, thick marmalade; put it warm into small glass jars or tumblers ant* lay a double round of tissue paper with a bladder or waxed paper.

Apple Jelly,

Slice the apples, skins, cores and all; put them in a stone jaP with a small quantity of water to keep them from sticking; then place the jar in water and let them remain boiling until perfectly soft; then strain and to one pint of the liquor add three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar; boil and clear with the whites of two or three eggs beaten to a froth. When it jellies pour into the glas?«v3 to cool and seal them.

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Blackberry Jelly.

Take blackberries before they are ripe, when they are turned red, put them into a porcelain kettle and cook until reduced to a pulp; then strain them and to a pint of juice add one pound of sugar. Boil to a jelly.

Cranberry Jelly.

Stew the cranberries until they are tender, then pour into a jelly- bag and let drip over night; take one pound of sugar to each pint of juice; let the juice boil five minutes, then pour in the sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved.

Crab-Apple Jelly. Boil the fruit whole in water enough to cover it until perfectly soft, then pour into a coarse linen bag and let it drip until it ceases, then press it a little. Allow one pound of sugar to each pint of juice. If you choose add the juice of a lemon to each quart of syrup. Boil the juice first, then skim it; heat the sugar in a dish in the oven and add it as the juice boils up. Boil gently twenty minutes and pour in tumblers or molds.

Currant Jelly. From the Home Messenger we copy the following: This recipe is the only one which we will warrant to make good jelly against odds. We have made jelly by it on the fifth of July and on the fifteenth, and each time it was a perfect success. While we recom- mend all persons to make their jelly from fresh fruit, early in tha season, we can still assure those who are behindhand that they need not despair of jelly that will set firm and hard later in the season. Run the currants through your hand picking out the leaves and any stray thing that may adhere to them but leaving the currants on their stems. Weigh the fruit, being accurate in remembering the number of pounds. Put a pint of water into your preserving kettle and add a bowl or two of currants, mashing and pressing them till A'ou have sufficient juice to cover the bottom of the kettle; th^a

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add Ibe remainder of the currants; let them come to a boil and boil at least twenty minutes, of course stirring and pressing them from time to time that they may not buri;i. Have a three-cornered bag of thin but strong unbleached cotton that has been well scalded and wrung till almost dry; hang it up and pour the boiled currants into it. Let it drip into a stone crock all night, but by no means squeeze it, the currants will drain perfectly dry. In the morning pour the strained juice into the preserving kettle without measuring; let it come to a boil and boil thorougly for three or four minutes, then pour in half as many pounds of sugar as you had pounds of currants. For instance, a peck of currants will probably weigh twelve pounds; therefore use six pounds of sugar. The moment the sugar is entirely dissolved the jelly is done. To make sure of the sugar being entirely dissolved see that it begins to jelly on the ladle. It Avill look thick and drop thick and a little stringy, but if let heat beyond this point it will loose its thickness and not jelly nearly so well and always disappoint you if you lose faith in your instructions and insist upon ' letting it come to a boil.' All the boiling is done before you put in the sugar.

Currant Jelly.

One pound of granulated sugar to each pint of juice. Squeeze the currants and boil twenty minutes, then add the sugar, which should be heating while the juice boils; stir well together until the sugar is well dissolved.

Grape Jelly.

Put the grapes into a preserving kettle and heat, bruising them meantime with a potato masher, until the juice runs freely, then strain through a sieve or thin cloth and measure one pint of juice for one pound of sugar. Boil the juice fifteen or twenty minutes before putting in the sugar; after adding the sugar let it boil from three to five minutes. All fruit will form more readily into a jelly if not quite ripe.

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Peach Jelly. Crack one-third of the kernels and put them into the jar with the peachee, which have been wiped, stoned and sliced. Heat in a pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally until the fruit is well broken; strain, and to every pint of peach juice add the juice of a lemon; measure again and to every pint of juice allow one pound of sugar. Heat the sugar very hot and add when the juice has boiled twenty minutes. Let it come to a boil and take instantly from the lire.

Pie-Plant Jelly. Stew the stalks until tender in a preserving kettle; strain through a jelly-bag; flavor with extract of lemon. To each pint of juice add a pound of sugar; boil until it jellies on the skimmer; remove it from the fire and put into jars.

Quince Jelly.

Peel, cut up and core some fine, ripe quinces; put them in suffi- cient cold water to cover them and stew gently till soft, but not red; strain the juice without pressure, weigh, and to every pound of juice allow one pound of crushed sugar; boil the juice twenty minutes, add the sugar and boil again until it jellies — about a quar- ter of an hour; stir and skim well all the time; strain through thin cloth into your jelly glasses, and when cold, cover it. The remainder of the fruit can be made into marmalade with three- quarters of a pound of sugar and a quarter of a pound of juicy apples to every pound of quinces, or it can be made into compotes or tarts.

Quince Jelly, No. 2.

Take the cores and parings of the quinces, put them in enough cold water to cover them, and boil until they are soft; squeeze, and add the juice to the water, and any syrup which may be left from the quince preserve, and strain it; to each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar; spread the sugar in pans, put it in the oven to heat, it must be watched and stirred to prevent burning. Let the

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juice boil for five minutes, then pour in the hot sugar, stirring until it is entirely dissolved, and skimming any scum that may rise. There will be very little. Let it come to a boil, then take from the fire and put in jars or glasses; the jelly will be clear, of a good color and keep well. All kinds of jellies can be made in this way, and it saves much labor in the time of boiling the juices and the trouble of skimming.