MAKING JELLY WITH GRANDMA

When the garden vegetables and fruits were ready to be canned, there was always something to do in grandma's kitchen.  With three little girls running around wanting to help, there were plenty of opportunities for grandma to teach us all she could about canning and making jellies and jams.  Making jelly was especially fun, the sampling part anyway!

Grandma taught us that measuring everything correctly was very important.  This was no time for making a guess at the amount of sugar and fruit you were going to cook.  The berries were cooked and then strained until the juice was free of seeds.  This was a dangerous job, done on the old cook stove, so grandma and our moms did this part of the work.  We watched but kept our distance so as not to get burned.

Next, we got to help measure out the sugar and put it into the big pot.  The grown-ups then added the hot berry juice and whatever else they added to make it be jelly, and we started to stir.  When the liquid started getting really hot, we had to stand aside again for grandma and our moms to take over.  She told us it had to boil hard for so many minutes, and it had to be exact, too.  Grandma left nothing to chance.  After the hard boiling was done, we girls were all moved way back and the heavy pot was moved to the sink.

Grandma let us help wash the jars and get them ready.  We used a long-handled brush and scrubbed and scrubbed those jars.  They had to be clean.  They usually all passed inspection, but we did have to redo some of them.  We loved that part of the job!  Grandma filled them with hot water and got the rings and flat pieces ready.  She also melted wax to seal the top of the jelly to keep it from getting any mold on it.

We watched with excitement as the jars were filled.  It didn't look much like jelly to me, more like thick juice.  "Are you sure this is going to be jelly grandma", I asked.  "Just wait, it will be the best jelly you have ever had on a homemade biscuit", she would reply.  We trusted her, so we just waited.

After the jars were filled, the wax was put on top and the lids put on.  She covered the jars and we waited to hear the familiar "POP", letting us know they had sealed.  Since we couldn't eat it hot, we had to wait.  Grandma did let us taste what was left in the pot, and it did taste like jelly, just didn't look much like it, so thin and all.  Oh well, we'll see if grandma is right.

Sure enough, at supper that night, grandma made her delicious biscuits, and a fresh jar of homemade jelly was set out on the table.  I couldn't wait to butter up my biscuit and try it.  Why, grandma was right, it was jelly!  And the best I had every tasted at that!  Grandma was always right.

As Howard and I make jelly today, I think back on those days when I was learning about how it was done from my grandma, and my heart if flooded with memories, good memories, and again I have taken a walk down memory lane.