Fruit contains a substance known as pectin, one of the carbohydrates, that jellies the fruit juice when the water in the juice is partially evaporated. Sugar helps in jellying, but no amount of sugar will set the jelly if there is no pectin. Some fruits have more than others, and also more when not overripe. Currants and firm apples are good jelly makers, and can be mixed with other fruits that do not jelly well. Mellow summer apples do not set well, but crab apples do. Some one is experimenting with the use of the white layer of orange peel cooked with the fruit to help the setting of the jelly, and it seems to be working well. (See recipes on page 302.)

There is another step in this process, the straining out of the juice from the pulp. For this, prepare a jelly bag from firm cotton cloth which has been boiled and washed. This bag must be hung in such a way that the juice drops from the point of the bag into a bowl below. It may be hung upon a stick between two chairs, or upon the rod of a strong towel rack over a table.

1. Apple jelly. Select tart, red-skinned apples, cut them in small pieces with the skins on, retain the cores, and put them in a kettle with cold water barely to cover. When thoroughly cooked and mashed, put this pulp into the jelly bag, and allow the juice to drip as long as it will. Do not squeeze the bag, nor stir the pulp, if you wish clear jelly. This dripping process is a matter of hours, and in the home kitchen may continue all night. Allow a pint of sugar or less to a pint of juice. Return the juice to the kettle, and allow it to simmer for twenty-five minutes or half an hour, skimming when necessary. In the meantime, heat the sugar, being careful not to melt or burn it. Stir the sugar gently into the juice, and boil five minutes. Test a little upon a saucer. It should show signs of jellying as it cools. Boil longer, if necessary. Finish as directed. Jelly often does not set until twenty-four hours have elapsed.

2. Currant jelly. The method is the same as with apple jelly. It is not necessary to remove the currants from the stem. Heat just long enough before the straining to make the juices flow well. It seems odd that white currants should make a red jelly.1

Very agreeable flavors are secured by the combining of two or more fruits in a jelly, - quince and pineapple with apple, - a leaf of rose geranium or lemon verbena in a glass of apple jelly, - raspberry with currant. White apple jelly may be flavored with mint leaves, and used in place of mint sauce with meat.

3. Blueberry jelly. Mention should be made of blueberry jelly - certainly not a common jelly. Examination of the blueberry shows a pulp rich in pectin. Although the juice is fairly sweet to taste, yet it is sufficiently acid to yield jelly of good firmness even when the proportion of sugar to juice is 1:1. With this proportion of sugar, the total time of making the jelly need not exceed 10 minutes.

The blueberry as a jelly fruit seems quite equal to the currant, with this difference in the jellies: although each is delicious, currant jelly is tart to the taste, while blueberry jelly is sweet. Hence, they may be used for different purposes in the menu.