Categories: Condiment, Toppings, Preserve 
      Yield: 6 servings 
  
           Text Only                       
  
  Select and wash fruits.  Remove stems, hulls, and blossom ends. Cut hard 
  fruit in quarters.  Do not pare or remove seeds. 
   
  Extraction of Juice Soft Fruit: Use just enough water to prevent fruit from 
  sticking.  Heat gradually, stirring constantly.  Crush fruit and cook until 
  it has lost its color. Hard Fruit: Cook, with sufficient water to cover, 
  until fruit is soft. Do not crush if a clear jelly is desired. 
   
  Straining the Juice:  Pour cooked fruit into a wet flannel jelly bag. Allow 
  juice to drip into a large container.  Do not squeeze fruit if a clear 
  jelly is desired.  When juice has stopped dripping return pulp to 
  preserving kettle.  Add sufficient water to cover. Cook slowly, stirring 
  constantly, for thirty minutes. Again strain juice, but keep this second 
  extraction separate from the first as the first extraction makes the 
  clearest jelly.  A third extraction may be made from some fruits, depending 
  upon the pectin content. 
   
  Test for Pectin:  Combine 1 tablespoon cooked fruit juice, 1 teaspoon 
  sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon Epsom salts.  Stir until salts dissolve. Allow to 
  stand about 20 minutes.  If juice contains sufficient pectin to make jelly, 
  the mixture will form into a gelatinous mass or large flaky particles. If 
  fruit juice shows only a small amount of pectin, use an equal volume of 
  apple juice, which is rich in pectin, and a satisfactory jelly will be 
  obtained. 
   
  Sugar Content of Jelly:  Too large a proportion of sugar will result in a 
  gummy jelly which can not be molded.  Too small a proportion of sugar will 
  result in a tough, dark jelly with an inferior flavor. Currants, unripe 
  grapes, and green gooseberries are about the only fruits which require an 
  equal measure of sugar. Two-thirds as much sugar as fruit juice is the 
  usual rule. 
   
  Cooking the Jelly:  Work with a small quantity of juice, not more than two 
  quarts at a time. Measure juice, heat rapidly to boiling. Add sugar, stir 
  until it is dissolved. Boil rapidly until a jelly test is obtained. The 
  sugar may be heated before adding to boiling juice if desired. 
   
  The Jelly Test: Dip a spoon into the boiling liquid.  Pour juice from 
  spoon.  If it sheets and two drops hang together from the side of the 
  spoon, the jelly is done and must be removed from the fire immediately. 
  Skim. 
   
  Sealing and Storing:  Pour the jelly immediately into freshly sterilized 
  glasses.  Cover at once with a thin layer of melted paraffin. Roll the 
  glasses to insure the entire surface being well covered. Cool. Cover with a 
  second layer of melted paraffin. Label. Store in a cool place.