Jelly is made from, strained fruit juice. The product is clear and firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of the container, yet soft enough to spread.
Butters are made by cooking fruit pulp and sugar until thick enough to spread easily. Spices are added depending on personal taste. The butter needs to be cooked slowly after the sugar is added to prevent scorching. Finer butters can be made by straining the pulp through a food mill and then through a fine-meshed sieve.
Jam is made from crushed or ground fruit and tends to hold its shape but is generally less firm than jelly. Jams are cooked until they round up in a spoon. They should be made in small batches and cooked rapidly until the sugar dissolves.
Complete directions for processing jelly and jams are provided with packaged pectin. Jelly or jam made with added pectin requires less cooking and generally gives a larger yield. These products also have more natural fruit flavors.
4 cups grape juice (about 3 ½ lbs grapes), and 3 cups sugar will yield about 5 six ounce glasses of jelly. Our best jellies & jams are made from a variety of grapes mixed together. Try some pink or white jelly instead of the usual concord type for something different.
Some of my favorite varieties for jam & jelly are Seneca, GW5, and Niagara for white jelly, and Price, NY Muscat, Buffalo, Concord and Steuben for red jelly.
Visit the Ball Corporations website: www.homecanning.com or call their Home Canners' Help Line at (1-800-240-3340) for lots of information on canning, jelly making, pectin & supplies.
