Jellies, Marmalades, Preserves

In making jellies, marmalades or preserves, use only perfectly sound and fresh fruit. Do not cook them long enough to destroy their natural flavor, and seal them while boiling hot in airtight glass jars, and be careful to fill these even to overflowing, so as to preclude the possibility of the least air entering the bottle. Then seal quickly. Heat the jars before filling, and use a wide-mouthed funnel during the process of filling. The large-mouthed jars that now come with porcelain-lined glass tops are the best. When once the jars are filled, immediately screw on the tops, and put them in a dry, warm place, where there is not the least possibility of the air striking them. After twenty-four hours turn the tops on still more tightly, so as to be sure to exclude the entrance of all air, and set them away in a cool, dark storeroom or closet. The room must not be cold. After six days examine the jars carefully. If there is not the least sign of any air bubbles on the surface, and the liquid seems to have settled perfectly, the fruit is keeping properly. If, on the contrary, there is the least sign of an air bubble, the fruit is beginning to ferment, and if the bottle is not opened immediately, it will burst shortly. Take out the fruit, recook it, and prepare the jars again, and return the fruit to them, taking extra precautions to prevent the entrance of any particle of air. In preserving large fruits, always throw them into cold water as soon as they have been pared. Then have ready a pot of clear, boiling syrup and proceed as directed below.