READERS' EXCHANGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21396, 20 October 1934, Page 7 (Supplement)

READERS' EXCHANGE

FIRM PIE MELON JAM Several readers have kindly forwarded hints and recipes to help B.P. to keep her pie melon jam nice and firm. K.C. (Epsom) has proved after 45 years' experience that the reason for "running" jam is usually that the fruit is overripe and too long off the plant. M.H. writes that for jam to " jell " the fruit must contain or have added to it a fair degree of acidity. The addition of lemons or citric acid is therefore advised. M.H. adds that the jam should be boiled well, but not too long. Here is a selection of .recipes recommended by K.C. (Epsom), M.L. (Auckland) and M.H. (Auckland) :

(jl) Peel, slice and cut in dice, after taking out all seeds a fresh pie melon, allowing Jib. sugar to each lib. of cutup melon. Put all into pan and stand all night. Next day boil up briskly, adding lib. preserved ginger, cut up, to each 121b. fruit, also a good, heaped of ground ginger. The jam is made much more delicious by adding the chopped-up pulp of several oranges. Boil all fast till it begins to thicken—about two hours usually. (2) Take lib. of pineapple to 21b. of the firmer part of a sugar melon. To every lib. of fruit add ilb. of sugar. Boil the fruit, with half the sugar, slowly for about two and a-half hours, then add the rest of the sugar and boil for about one and a-half hours.. (3) Skin and chop up small 181b. of melon, removing seeds. Chop up six lemons finely. Put 201b. sugar and seven pints of water in preserving pan and boil for ten minutes. Then add the lemon, melon and two teaspoonfuls citric acid and boil about two hours longer. If flavour is then still wanting in sharpness, stir in one or two more teaspoonfuls of citric acid. Turn into jars as soon as it has cooled and cover. When Wine Goes Sour .Relating to M.'s blackberry wine which has gone sour and " vinegary," M.H. writes: "It is possible that leaving the wine exposed to the air in an open cask after the fermentation process had presumably finished, and so giving it every chance (especially in a warm room) to progress from wine to vinegar, may be the cause of the trouble. Had the cask been tightly plugged up or even stood in a very cold 'room or cellar as soon as the fermentation was finished and the wine produced, all might have been well. The trouble may be cured in many cases by adding 4oz. potassium carbonate for each 25 gallons of wine (or less in proportion), closing the cask up tightly and allowing it to remain undisturbed for two weeks. The sourness should then be gone, hut unfortunately the wine will not keep very well after this treatment and must be used soon." Another suggestion from a reliable source is to add one grain of sodium benzoate. or one grain of benzaric acid, to one pint of the wine when making it. This is said to prevent the wine from turning sour. Questions and Answers F.S. (Mount Eden) has discovered where flaked coconut may be obtained and has kindly forwarded the address. If M.C. (Papatoetoe) or any other interested reader would like to know it, please forward a stamped addressed envelope. M.U. (Kirikopuni).—-Several good lemon cordial recipes have been forwarded, but owing to lack of space they will have to be held over until next week.