SC - Jellies vs. aspics

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/6/98 10:05:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
geneviamoas at juno.com writes:

<< Today's jams and jellies tend
 to have quite a bit of sugar in them - would it have been available then?
 substitutes? Also with a limited amount of fruit and no expectation of
 more until next year if then, Would they have used the large amounts
 necessary to make jellies to do this or would they have prepared them
 some other way for storage?  >>

First, several fruits have largfe amounts of pectin in them. Crab apples and
currants immediately come to mind. Neither of these fruits would have needed
sweeteners to "help" the pectin do it's thing. What sweetening was needed
vcould be accomplished with honey. ;-)

Second, I don't understand what you mean by a "limited" amount of fruit.
Remember this was an agricultural society. 500 bushels of apples would be a
low conservative guestament of the production of a moderate land holding.
These were eaten fresh, dried, and preserved in other ways. My family had a
farm and we raised enough food for  a family of 8 on a 30 cow farm so we only
had to go to the store once a month for staples such as sugar and flour.
Alternatively it only takes 6 current bushes in good health to provide  enough
fruit for that size of a family. When thinking about the Middle Ages we must
always remember that their culture was based on agriculture. :-)

Ras
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