If you, like me, endeavor to make jelly, the following lessons are helpful to keep in mind: 1. You will have more waste seeds, stems, skins than volume of juice remaining after stewing and food milling fruit.
2. You will want to clarify the juice by pressing it through a chinois.
3. When that gets frustrating, you will want to squeeze it through cheesecloth.
4. You will get impatient and squeeze too much.
5. The pulpy juice that spills out of the cheesecloth will stain your clothes.
6. If you wear your Made By AmyD apron as a good cook should, the staining will not be a problem.
7. If you didn't wear your apron, despite it hanging so close to the kitchen, you now have another 'canning shirt'.
8. You will now read, in the case of the grape juice you just made, that the juice should be refrigerated overnight so 'crystals' can be strained. Your plan to can jelly will be delayed.
9. When the juice is boiled, sugar and pectin are added, and jelly is canned, there will be remarkable little to show for your efforts.
10. You will note there are precious few things more simply beautiful and delicious than home canned jelly.
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