Currant Jelly, No. 2.
Pick the currants free from stems and leaves, and put them, a few quarts at a time, in a large earthen or granite-ware dish, and crush them with a vegetable masher. Put the crushed fruit into a square of cheese-cloth, and press out the juice. Put the strained juice into the preserving kettle and set on the fire. When it boils, skim it well; then turn it into a flannel bag and let it drain into an earthen bowl. Do not press the juice through the bag. Measure this strained juice, and put it on the fire in a clean preserving kettle. Let it boil for five minutes. Now add a pint of granulated sugar for every pint of currant juice. Stir the mixture until it begins to boil. Boil for just one minute; then fill the glasses, which must be warm, and set them in a sunny window until the jelly is firm. It may require only a few hours’ time for this, and it may take even a day or two; all depends upon the condition of the currants.
A much clearer and handsomer jelly is made by putting the currant juice, when it has been strained the second time, into the clean kettle, and adding, when it comes to the boiling point, the sugar; then stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and filling the glasses immediately. Set in the sun until the jelly becomes firm. It will take two or three days. This is called sun-cooked jelly. The currants must be in perfect condition for this kind of jelly; just ripe, and freshly picked.