Jams and Jellies
APPLE JELLY
Select sound, red, fine-flavored apples not too ripe; wash, wipe and core; place in a granite kettle, cover with water and let cook slowly until the apples look red. Pour into a muslin bag and drain; return juice to a clean kettle and boil one-half hour; skim. Now measure and to every pint of juice, allow a pound of sugar; boil quickly for ten minutes. Red apples will give jelly the color of wine while that from light fruit will be like amber.
SPICED FRUITS
These are also called sweet pickle fruits. For four pounds prepared fruit allow one pint vinegar, two pounds brown sugar, one-half cup whole spices—cloves, allspice, stick cinnamon, and cassia-bude. Tie spices in thin muslin bag, boil ten minutes with vinegar and sugar. Skim, add fruit, cook till tender. Boil down syrup, pour over fruit in jars, and seal. If put in stone pots, boil syrup three successive mornings and pour over fruit. Currants, peaches, grapes, pears and berries may be prepared in this way, also ripe cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelon rind.
PLUM JELLY
Take plums not too ripe, put in a granite pan and set in a pan of water over the fire. Let the water boil gently till all the juice has come from the fruit, strain through a flannel bag and boil with an equal weight of sugar twenty minutes.
CRAB-APPLE JELLY
Select juicy apples. Mealy ones are no good. Wash and quarter and put into a preserving kettle over the fire with a teacupful of water. If necessary add more water as it evaporates. When boiled to a pulp strain the apples through a flannel bag, then proceed as for other jelly.