ugar than do
some of the milder-flavored fruits. Currants, for example, often contain
four or five times as much sugar as the peach. The peach does not
contain so much free acid and it does contain a great deal of pectin
bodies, which mask the acid; hence, the comparative sweetness of the
ripe fruit.

SELECTION AND HANDLING OF FRUIT FOR JELLY MAKING.

An acid fruit is the most suitable for jelly making, though in some of
the acid fruits, the strawberry, for example, the quantity of the
jelly-making pectin is so small that it is difficult to make jelly with
this fruit. If, however, some currant juice be added to the strawberry
juice a pleasant jelly will be the result; yet, of course, the flavor of
the strawberry will be modified. Here is a list of the most desirable
fruits for jelly making. The very best are given first: Currant, crab
apple, apple, quince, grape, blackberry, raspberry, peach.

Apples make a very mild jelly, and it may be flavored with fruits,
flowers, or spices. If the apples are acid it is not advisable to use
any flavor.

Juicy fruits, such as currants, raspberries, etc., should not be
gathered after a rain, for they will have absorbed so much water as to
make it difficult, without excessive boiling, to get the juice to jelly.

If berries are sandy or dusty it will be necessary to wash them, but the
work should be done very quickly so that the fruit may not absorb much
water. (See washing fruit, p. 13.)

Large fruits, such as apples, peaches, and pears, must be boiled in
water until soft. The strained liquid will contain the flavoring matter
and pectin.

It requires more work and skill to make jellies from the fruits to which
water must be added than from the juicy fruits. If the juicy fruits are
gathered at the proper time one may be nearly sure that they contain the
right proportion of water. If gathered after a rain the fruit must be
boiled a little longer that the superfluous water may pass off in steam.

In the case of the large fruits a fair estimate is 3 quarts of strained
juice from 8 quarts of fruit and about 4 quarts of water. If the
quantity of juice is greater than this it should be boiled down to 3
quarts.

Apples will always require 4 quarts of water to 8 quarts of fruit, but
juicy peaches and plums will require only 3 or 3-1/2 quarts.

The jelly will be clearer and finer if the fruit is simmered gently and
not stirred during the cooking.

It is always best to strain the