Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/471

 PRESERVES, JELLIES, ETC. 431

them and allow them to soak for twenty minutes and then add sugar to suit the taste. The fine flavor of the fruit is said to be retained to perfection. The cost of the prepared product is scarcely greater than that of the original fruit, differing with the supply and price of the latter ; the keeping qualities are excellent, so that it may be had at any time of the year and bears long sea-voyages with out detriment. No peeling or coring is required, so there is no waste.

FRUIT JELLIES.

TAKE a stone jar and put in the fruit, place this in a kettle of tepid water and set on the fire ; let it boil, closely covered, until the fruit is broken to pieces ; strain, pressing the bag, a stout, coarse one, hard, put- ting in a few handfuls each time, and between each squeezing turning it inside out to scald o'ff the pulp and skins ; to each pint of juice allow a pound of loaf sugar; set the juice on alone to boil, and, while it is boiling, put the sugar into shallow dishes or pans, and heat it in the oven, watching and stirring it to prevent burning; boil the juice just twenty minutes from the time it begins fairly to boil ; by this time the sugar should be very hot ; throw it into the boiling juice, stirring rap- idly all the time; withdraw the spoon when all is thoroughly dis- solved ; let the jelly come to a boil to make all certain ; withdraw the kettle instantly from the fire ; roll your glasses and cups in hot water, and fill with the scalding liquid; the jelly will form within an hour; when cold, close and tie up as you do preserves.

CURRANT JELLY.

CURRANTS for jelly should be perfectly ripe and gathered the first week of the season; they lose their jelly property if they hang on the bushes too long, and become too juicy the juice will not be apt to congeal. Strip them from the stalks, put them into a stone jar, and set in a vessel of hot water over the fire; keep the water around it boiling until the currants are all broken, stirring them up occasion- ally. Then squeeze them through a coarse cloth or towel. To each pint of juice allow a pound and a quarter of refined sugar. Put the sugar into a porcelain kettle, pour the juice over it, stirring fre- quently. Skim it before it boils ; boil about twenty minutes, or until

�� �