The bride's cook book

It is a controversial point if the jam, jelly, marmalade or preserves should be covered while hot or left to become cold. Both courses are recommended by experts. In days gone by an excellent product was made and left until cold, then covered with tissue paper dipped in brandy, and a tightly tied-down cover of white paper dipped in white of egg. It must always be stored in a cool, dry place. RULES FOR MAKING JAMS, JEL- LIES OR MARMALADES 1. Observe the strictest cleanliness. 2. Use fresh, ripe and dry fruit, a bit under-ripe is preferable. 3. Allow generally 54 pound of sweetening to each pound of fruit. 4. Have steady but bright fire. Boil continuously and fast, skim and stir frequently. 5. Do not fill the preserving kettle too full. 6. A good test to ascertain if it is cooked sufficiently is to allow some juice to drop from the spoon, and when it sheets off—or sets—it is cooked enough. AMOUNT OF WATER ALLOWED TO EACH POUND OF FRUIT Fruit Apple — Proportion of Water 1 gill to 1 pound Apricot 1 gill to 1 pound Blackberry None Cherry „ — 1 gill red currant juice to each pound Carrot Enough to cover carrot Currant, red None, mash a bit Currant, black 1/4 gill to 1 pound Damson None Grape (unripe) None Greengage None Gooseberry 1 gill to 1 pound Plum None Quince and Apple ..Water enough to cover bottom of pan Raspberry None Strawberry None Rhubarb 3/4 gill to 1 pound As a rule, the procedure is as follows, though in special recipes other methods may be advised: Place the prepared fruit in a kettle and simmer for a few minutes. Add the sugar and cook gently until it has dissolved. This is important, for if allowed to boil before it is dissolved the jam will be thin. When the sugar has dissolved, add the corn syrup — equal weight, pound for pound to the sugar — then boil fast. This again is important, as otherwise the product, whether jam, jelly or marmalade, will not be of good color. Stir well and skim with a silver spoon. When sugar is of good quality and clean fruit is used, there should not be very much scum. TIME The length of time for boiling will depends on the kind of fruit used, as well as on its condition, whether wet, ripe or unripe. Roughly, forty minutes is the time from when the fruit commences to boil, but after about twentyfive minutes it is wise to test by placing a very little in a saucer. If it sets, it is done; if you think it is done, put it on a cool part of the stove while you wait for test saucer to cool. Otherwise it may become over-cooked. PRESERVING IN SYRUP Another method, and many jam makers prefer this, is to first make a blended syrup and then cook the fruit in it. For example: equal weight of sugar and corn syrup; add half a pint of water and dissolve it by gentle heat. Then boil for half an hour, add the fruit and boil quickly until the jam jellies, allowing ^ pound of blended syrup to each pound of fruit. PLUM CONSERVE 1 Pound Plums 1-3 Pound Raisins Vz Cup Cold Water 1/4 Cup Nut Meats 2 Oranges 1-3 Cup Corn Syrup Wash, stone and cut the plums into pieces. Add the seeded raisins and chopped orange pulp and peel, cut very fine, corn syrup, and water. Simmer until it has the consistency of marmalade (about 154 hours of slow cooking). Add nuts about 5 minutes before removing from the fire.