JELLY

the juice of fruits or meats, evaporated or thickened to a semi-solid consistence. High class meat jellies thicken principally from the gelatine extracted from the bone in cooking; high class fruit jellies from the "pectin" in the fruit juices.

The best fruit jellies are made by cooking the fruit in a small amount of water, then pressing the juice from the pulp, adding sugar to the juice, evaporating it to the proper consistence, pouring it hot into the glasses and sealing. In many cases the juice is clarified during the evaporating process. For some kinds, as the finest apple jelly, no sugar is added.

Cheaper jellies are made principally from minor grades of apple juice--from cores and parings of canning establishments, etc.--commercial glucose and a varying quantity of the juice of the "character" fruit, together with coloring matter, citric acid, or similar articles, to help give the jelly consistence, and frequently saccharin, etc., for increased sweetness.

In addition to the many brands put up in glass, etc., by well known manufacturers, very fair qualities of some types are in certain sections sold to the trade in five and ten pound pails to be retailed by the pound. Care should be taken to keep such goods closely covered, for if one fly can spoil the ointment of the apothecary, it can also ruin a grocer's good name! A wooden spoon should be used for dishing out, as metals are apt to turn the bright color of the jelly to a dull, undesirable hue.