JAMS AND JELLIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 21

JAMS AND JELLIES

RULES AND METHODS While it is unnecessary to buy the best quality of dessert fruit for .jammaking, it is a mistake to conclude that any kind of fruit will do, as, if it is damp or too ripe, even the most thorough boiling will not prevent it from going mouldy. On the other hand, the best preserving sugar should be used, as this costs no more 111 the long run and is less trouble. Cheap sugar throws up so much scum that much tinio has to be spent in skimming it off, and a portion of the sugar and juice is lost. Little or no water should be used in making jam; juicy fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, and red currants, do not need any, but cherries, apricots and black currants need about a teacupful to every pound of fruit. Some fruits which do not jelly well without the addition of some other jellying substanco are much improved by the addition of a little rhubarb, gooseberry, apple or red currant juice, about a teacuptul to each pound of fruit. Raspberry, cherry, and strawberry jams are alj improved in this way. Many people are under the misapprehension that to boil jam slowly is more economical as there is less evaporation, and also that the fruit does not break up so easily. As a matter of fact, colour and llavour are better if the jam is boiled steadily and quickly. Many jams are done in three-quarters of an hour, and few should take longer than an hour. If the fruit is required whole, other methods are used to keep it so. In the case of juicy berries like strawberries, it helps to cover them with the sugar the night before, as this draws the moisture from the fruit, and keeps it firmer. Another method is to boil the fryit with the sugar in the usual way until the fruit is soft enough but unbroken, then remove it from the syrup, boil the latter until it will jelly, then put the fruit back and bring to the boil again to make quito sure that it is all sterilised. A method which is good when the fruit is not required whole is to heat the fruit and sugar separately. Put the sugar in the oven and the fruit in the preserving pan. Put the fruit over a low heat, so that the jtfice begins to flow without burning. Any necessary water or other fruit juice should be put in the pan with it. Then boil for some minutes, next add the hot sugar gradually, and when it comes to the boil cook quickly until it jellies. Amount of Sugar.

The general ride of a pound of' sugar to a pound of fruit should not be applied indiscriminately; the ideal is to use just enough to keep the fruit in perfect condition for a long period. Too much sugar destroys the flavour of the fruit and makes the jam too thick and syrupy. Strawberries, cherries, greengages, red currants, and damsons all need only 12oz. of sugar to the pound of fruit. The jam should not bo skimmed until it actually begins to boil; the first froth which rises is merely bubbles from the sugar and it is wasteful to remove that. When the real scum rises it should be taken off with a wooden spoon; metal ones are apt to spoil the colour of the jam. It should not be thrown away, as it contains fruit juice; put it into a basin, and when it cools take off the top layer and use the juice underneath for puddings or sweets. Tinned brass or copper or heavy aluminium preserving pans should be used. They should not be more than three-quarters full, or the jam may boil over if cooked at the correct temperature. If the pans are wiped with butter first there will be no danger of the jam burning, and if a small piece of butter is put iilto the jam while it is cooking it will need less skimming. In jam-making one of the most im- ' portant points is .thorough sterilisation of all utensils. It is, now considered best to fasten down the jars while the contents are as near boiling point as possible. The best way of sterilising the jars is to wash them in warm, soapy water, rinse in clear water, dry with a. perfectly clean and boiled glass-cloth, then put into a cool oven, which should be gradually heated to about IloOdeg. Remove one from the oven when it is ready to be filled, and when full cover with a clean piece of greaseproof paper until all the jars are ready to be fastened down. This excludes the possibility of microscopical specks of mould alighting on the jam from the atmosphere. All this should be done as quickly as possible, so that the first jar does not cool before the last is filled. There is no difficulty nowadays in covering the pots, as transparent covers which are easy to use are obtainable cheaply. The jam should be stored in a cool, dry place; excessive heat or damp will spoil it. j When Making Jelly

All the rules for sterlisation, boiling and bottling apply to jelly-making. The jelly bag may be made of linon, flannel, or two or three folds of fine muslin, and should be scalded just before use by pouring some boiling water through it. Gooseberries, apples, red currants and black currants make excellent jellies, as they contain plenty of pectin and so set well. Itaspberries make a delicious jelly, but this fruit sets better and the flavour is improved if an equal quantity of red-currant juice is added to it. The juicy fruits need no water, but apples and gooseberries need a little. The fruit should be put into a pan or jar and simmered on a low heat or in the oven until the fruit is broken; it should be mashed with a spoon from time to time so that the maximum quantity of juice is extracted, then put through the jelly bag to drip overnight. The bag should not be squeezed, or the jelly will be cloudy. The juice drips better if left in a warm place. The juice should then be boiled quickly for 15 minutes, the warmed sugar added and the whole boiled for a short time until a little will jelly when put on a cold plate. Twelve ounces to a pound of sugar for a pint of juice should be used. Do not over-boil; some jellies will need no more than five minutes' cooking after the sugar comes to tin* boil.