Jelly

Jelly differs from jam and marmalade in that only the fruit juice, not the fruit itself, is used. To make jelly, you will need to either buy a jelly bag or make one. To do this, line a colander with several thicknesesses of cheesecloth, which are first scaled with boiling water, cooled and wrung dry. Set the colander over a large bowl, pour in the cooked fruit, and tie the cheesecloth to make a bag. Suspend the bag over the bowl by tying it with string to the handle of a kitchen cabinet. Let it drip overnight. Be patient. If you hasten the dripping of the juice by squeezing the bag when it is full of fruit pulp, the jelly will be cloudy.

Apple Jelly

4 pounds green apples
½ cup lemon juice
3 cups water
Sugar

Wash and cut up the fruit without peeling or coring it. (The seeds and skin contain the most pectin, so they should be cooked with the fruit to assure a firm jelly.) Cover the fruit with water, add the lemon juice, and boil until tender. Remove from heat, mash and strain the fruit. Following the directions for a jelly bag above, measure the resulting juice and add 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice. Boil until the candy thermometer reads 220 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the heat and skim the froth. Fill and cap the jars.

Mint Jelly

3 pounds green apples
3 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup firmly packed mint leaves and stems
Sugar
2 or 3 drops green food coloring

Wash and cut up the apples; do not peel or core them. Put apples, mint and water in a saucepan and simmer until apples are tender; then mash. Add vinegar and boil for 4 minutes. Strain (see directions for jelly bag, above), and measure the juice. Add 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice. Boil until candy thermometer registers 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a few drops of green food coloring skim the froth, and fill and cap the jars. The addition of vinegar to the recipe makes a tart, rather than sweet, mint jelly.
Marmalade

Marmalade is a confection made of chopped or sliced fruit which is suspended evenly throughout a clear jelly. The word comes from the Latin word for quince - originally marmalade was made from this fruit. Today oranges are usually used.

Scotch Orange Marmalade

6 navel oranges
1 cup lemon juice
10 cups water
10 cups sugar
½ cup Scotch whiskey
1 tablespoon butter

Shred the oranges, discarding the tough center fiber; put them in a pan with the water and soak overnight. The next day, cook covered until tender. Let cool, then stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Boil until the thermometer reads 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heat, skim the froth, add the butter, and stir until it is melted. Stir in the whiskey; fill and cap the jars. Makes about 12 half-pint jars.

Tangerine Marmalade

4 ½ pounds tangerines
1 cup lemon juice
11 cups water
9 cups sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Follow instructions for the Scotch orange marmalade, but omit the whiskey. (Temple oranges may be substituted for tangerines, if desired.) This recipe will make approximately 10 half-pint jars of marmalade.

Apple and Ginger Marmalade

4 pounds green apples
½ cup lemon juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
6 cups sugar
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces crystallized ginger, chopped

Peel, core and chop the apples. Put the apples, water, lemon juice and ground ginger in a saucepan. Cover and simmer until soft. Turn off the heat, mash the mixture, and skim the froth. Stir in the sugar and crystallized ginger. Boil until the candy thermometer registers 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Fill and cap the jars. This makes approximately 7 half-pint jars.

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