Fruit Selection

• Jelly can be made from many different types of fruits and berries. To extract the most flavor, adding as much ripe fruit to the pot increases the intensity of the flavor due to complete sugar development. Using as much of the fruit as you can is also important, as the skins of many fruits, such as apples and grapes, provide a significant amount of flavor as they cook. The fruit should be a blend containing varying degrees of ripeness, from just-ripe to over-ripe, not only for the best flavor, but also for the jelly to thicken to right consistency. Pick over fruit and discard any that are spoiled or show signs of disease or insect damage.

Cooking the Fruit

• For large fruit, such as apples or crab apples, remove the stems and blossom ends, but do not peel or core the fruit. Rinse well to remove any impurities and cut into small pieces. Place fruit in a large Dutch oven or deep kettle that will allow the mixture to bubble without boiling over. Add about 3 cups water to 3 pounds of apples to the pot and cook covered until the fruit is soft and mushy, which takes about 20 to 25 minutes. To make plum jelly, follow the same procedure for preparing apples, but use only 1 1/2 cups water for every 3 pounds of fruit. For grape or blackberry jelly, remove stems and crush fruit before cooking. Use 1/2 cup water for 3 1/2 pounds of grapes and 3/4 cup water for 5 pints of berries.

Straining

• The key to crystal clear jelly lies in the straining, which removes all the solids from the juice. The best way to do this is with a jelly bag mounted on a frame and placed over a large bowl. If you don't have a jelly bag, you can strain the fruit through two layers of cheesecloth in a colander placed over a large bowl. The method involves placing the cooled cooked fruit pulp in the bag and allowing as much of the juice as possible to drip without squeezing it, as this can cloud the jelly. If you do squeeze the bag to get the most juice and flavor from the fruit, simply pour it a second time through a clean jelly bag or cheesecloth.

Jelly Making

• All fruits produce varying amounts of pectin, a natural thickening agent found in their skins and cores. Generally speaking, under-ripe fruit contains the most pectin. This makes it important to add some under-ripe fruit to the pot if you are making jelly the old-fashioned way without pectin. In this case, test the juice after cooking to determine if it has jelled properly. The most accurate way to do this is to use an immersible thermometer and turn the heat off when the temperature reaches 220 F, which is 8 degrees above the boiling point of water. You could also dip a cool metal spoon into the jelly and lift it above the pot. The jelly is ready if the syrup coats the spoon and separates into two drops.