Damson Plum Jelly
| Damson Plums, | 1 quart |
| Sugar | |
| Water, | 2 tablespoons |
Adelaide wiped and picked over the Damson Plums, and slit each one with a silver knife before placing them in the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water. These she let boil until very soft, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. When the fruit had cooked sufficiently, she poured it into the jelly bag and let it drip over night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-fourths the amount of sugar. It (the juice) was boiled rapidly for twenty minutes, while the sugar stood on the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown.
After twenty minutes of boiling for the juice, the sugar was added gradually and stirred until it was all dissolved. When the "jelly point" was reached Adelaide skimmed the jelly quickly, poured it into a pitcher, and from there into the sterilized glasses, and then stood them in a sunny window.
As soon as the jelly was cold, Adelaide wiped the tops and outsides of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the jelly glasses away in the preserve closet.
Apple Jelly
| Apples, | 1 dozen |
| Sugar | |
| Water |
The apples that made the best jelly, mother told Adelaide, were the "porter apples," the "gravenstein apples," the "maiden's blush," and the "fall pippins."
Adelaide wiped each apple thoroughly with a damp cloth and removed the stems and blossom ends. With a silver knife she cut them in quarters. Placing them in the saucepan, she added cold water until it came nearly to the top of the apples.
Covering the saucepan, she stood it over the fire and let the apples cook slowly until they were very soft. She found it necessary to stir the fruit with a wooden spoon occasionally to prevent the juice from burning. When it was done Adelaide poured it into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night.