[Sca-cooks] Dancing on the cap of a jam jar

[Gwen Barclay]

Hey, Folks - coming from someone with a family business that made thousands of jars of jelly, jam, preserves,  conserves and marmalades through the years (20th century, not medieval) much of the difference between the types mostly has to do with the size fruit is cut, whether it is strained through a "jelly bag", plus the additional ingredients that are added. 

I. Clear, bright juice from crushed fruit that has been hung in a jelly bag (usually of heavy muslin) over a bowl for several hours or overnight and usually cooked with pectin
until a soft texture forms = jelly.

II. Small chunks of fruit which cook with sugar and usually pectin until very soft and an almost formless consistency but not smooth = jam. 

III. Medium to large pieces of fruit cooked with sugar and often pectin = preserve.

IV. A preserve containing pieces of fruit rind or peel, primarily citrus = marmalade.  Originally marmalades were made from quince - the Portuguese word marlelada means 
"quince jam."

V. The same sized fruit cooked with sugar plus other ingredients such as  raisins, various other fruits and nuts = conserve.


Hope this may sort out the different types of spreads for breads or to eat as an accompaniment with meats and poultry.  But that's another story for another day.

Gwen in Texas - don't have a nom de plume as yet.  Maybe Lady Guinevere - if I have spelled it correctly?

I apologize for the incorrect date on this e-mail but the "date and time" option has gone haywire.