While the juice came to the boiling point Adelaide attended to the sterilizing of the little glasses.
As soon as the juice had boiled rapidly for twenty minutes Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until the sugar was dissolved. It very quickly boiled again and in a few minutes reached the "jelly point." Adelaide skimmed it carefully and poured it into a pitcher. It was then easy to pour the jelly into the small glasses and stand it in the sun to set.
The next morning Adelaide wiped each glass carefully with a damp cloth around the top and outside, then she poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next the labels were pasted on, and then the jelly was stored away in the preserve closet.
Blackberry Jelly
| Blackberries, | 1 quart |
| Sugar | |
| Water, | 2 tablespoons |
Adelaide picked the blackberries very carefully into the colander. This she dipped up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times to thoroughly cleanse the berries. When they were well drained she poured them into the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water, and mashed the berries with the wooden potato masher. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the blackberries heat through slowly until they were soft, then she poured them into the jelly bag and the juice dripped all night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she allowed three-fourths of a cup of sugar. The juice she put over the fire to boil rapidly for twenty minutes, and stood the sugar in an earthenware dish at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. After the juice had boiled sufficiently Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred with a wooden spoon until it was all dissolved, then she let it boil until it reached the jelly point. Skimming it carefully, she then poured the jelly into the pitcher, and from there into the small sterilized glasses, which she stood in a sunny window to set.
When cold, Adelaide wiped each glass carefully around the top and outside, and poured melted paraffin over the top of the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air; then she pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Blackberry Jelly
| Blackberries, | 1 quart | |
| Sugar | ||
| Water, | 2 tablespoons | |
| Spices (ground), | cinnamon | |
| mace | ||
| cloves | ||