Apples vary in the percentage of sugar and acid they contain. A fine-flavored acid apple should be employed when possible. Apple jelly may be made at any time of the year, but winter apples are best and should be used when in their prime, i. e., from the fall to December or January. When it is found necessary to make apple jelly in the spring, add the juice of one lemon to every pint of apple juice.
CIDER APPLE JELLY.
Make the same as plain apple jelly, but covering the apples with cider instead of water. The cider must be fresh from the press.
CRAB-APPLE JELLY.
Make the same as plain apple jelly.
QUINCE JELLY.
Rub the quinces with a coarse crash towel; cut out the blossom end. Wash the fruit and pare it and cut in quarters. Cut out the cores, putting them in a dish by themselves. Have a large bowl half full of water; drop the perfect pieces of fruit into this bowl. Put the parings and imperfect parts, cut very fine, into the preserving kettle. Add a quart of water to every 2 quarts of fruit and parings. Put on the fire and cook gently for two hours. Strain and finish the same as apple jelly. The perfect fruit may be preserved or canned.
To make quince jelly of a second quality, when the parings and fruit are put on to cook put the cores into another kettle and cover them generously with water and cook two hours. After all the juice has been drained from the parings and fruit, put what remains into the preserving kettle with the cores. Mix well and turn into the straining cloth. Press all the juice possible from this mixture. Put the juice in the preserving kettle with a pint of sugar to a pint of juice; boil ten minutes.
WILD FRUITS FOR JELLIES.
Wild raspberries, blackberries, barberries, grapes, and beach plums all make delicious jellies. The frequent failures in making barberry jelly come from the fruit not being fresh or from being overripe.