to run easily, it should be at once put into pots. Jam must always be boiled fast, as slow cooking invariably spoils the colour, and, as long as fruit and sugar are being cooked together, the preserving pan must not be left. The jam must be kept constantly and gently stirred the whole time it is cooking, and the scum must be carefully removed as it rises. The difficulty about jam making for the beginner is that experience is indispensable, as the fruit varies so much each year that no hard and fast rules can be given. Again, remember that, if the fruit is boiled before adding the sugar, it must be carefully watched, for, if allowed to thicken too much, the sugar, when added, will neither melt properly, nor throw up its scum as it should do, and in some seasons when the fruit is very good the juice thickens up almost in a minute, so attention is needed. It must be remembered that these directions are given on the understanding that the best cane sugar is used. Inferior sugar takes longer, as it throws up far more scum than the best clarified sugar will do, and this in itself is a waste, as a certain proportion of jam is bound to rise with the scum, and so be wasted.
The question as to quantities is another very anxious one for the beginner. The old rule was equal weights of fruit and sugar, and this is, on the whole, a very safe one; but in these days many persons consider jam made in these proportions too luscious, and prefer three quarters of a pound of sugar to the one pound of fruit, and in this case the rule of boiling up the fruit well before adding the sugar, should be strictly adhered to. Another point
will keep without deteriorating for three or four years, or even longer. I remember eating some jam which had been made very nearly five years, and certainly it could compare favourably with any other.
Jam to keep well must be stored in a cool, dry place, free from draughts, and from any sudden changes of temperature—the evener the latter, the better the jam will keep. It is advisable when putting up jam to paste labels with the name of the jam and the date of its making on the sides of the jars, for when stored the names, if written, as they often are, on the top covering, are not visible, and so a good deal of confusion may arise. Be very careful when pouring the jam into the pots to keep the latter as free from splashes as possible, and if by any accident any is spilt, wipe it off at once with a damp cloth rung out of hot water; the importance of attention to this point is that, if not wiped off at once it cools and hardens quickly, and is then not easy to remove; and if the cover by any chance gets moistened by the stickiness thus left, the contents of the pot are very likely not to keep.
The above are general rules applicable to all jams, but common sense must be used in applying them. For instance, jams, or marmalades as the French call them, should be cooked a little before adding the sugar; the same rule applies to jellies, which should be cooked first to extract the juice, and when tender should be drained through a fine sieve or jelly bag, and then boiled quickly with the requisite amount of sugar. But if the fruit is to be kept whole, either