IN A JAM

As I am planning to have lamb for one of my birthday meals, I completed making mint jelly. When I gave a jar of the jelly to my friend Mona Lisa she asked me the differences between jelly, jam, marmalade, and preserves.

I turned to my friend David Persinger for information. David, known locally as "The JAM MAN", produces more than thirty-six different varieties of jellies, jams, and butters. David sells his delicacies at the Farmer's Market in Washington Court House where he was to give a demonstration of jam-making. (CLICK HERE to see the article from Washington Court House Record Herald.) Because of the lack of enough electrical power to make water boil, he was unable to complete the demonstration. In future weeks there will be demonstrations by chefs using fresh, seasonal products.

For Mona Lisa:

JELLY: It is usually made from cooking fruit juice and sugar and pectin as a jelling agent and lemon juice as an acid to maintain a clear, consistent product. Jelly is firm and will hold its shape.

JAM: It is usually made from chopped fruit cooked with sugar, and pectin and lemon juice. It does contain pieces of fruit.

PRESERVES: Are fruit cooked with sugar to the point that large chunks of fruit, or whole fruit, such as berries, are suspended in a syrupy base.

MARMALADE: It is a soft jelly, most often made with citrus fruit that includes the pulp and peel of the fruit. While the peel is bitter, the sweetness of the jelly offsets the taste.

CLICK HERE to see article from The Nibble. It includes descriptions of CHUTNEY, CONFITURE (French for jam), CONSERVES, FRUIT BUTTER, FRUIT CURD, FRUIT SPREAD, and GELEE (French for jelly) as well as for jams, jellies, preserves, and marmalades.