RASPBERRY JAM

Raspberries
Sugar

To each pound of ripe red or English raspberries, put one pound of loaf sugar--stir it frequently, and stew till it is a thick jelly.

From The Virginia Housewife Or, Methodical Cook, by Mary Randolph, 1860 edition. (First edition published 1824.)

Comment: It doesn't get much more basic than this in Jam and Jelly World. No pectin, no rennet, no additives of any sort. You will on the other hand stir till your arm falls off, but such are the sacrifices called for by art.

We are not sure if Mrs. Randolph meant this for short-term consumption or for use over the course of the year. Most jelly recipes of the period call for packing into small jars which are then "sealed" with a sheet of paper which has been dipped in brandy and then tied over the top of the jar. More recent generations have allowed the product to cool and jell somewhat, and then poured a thin (half inch or less) layer of melted paraffin over the top, or else used standard canning jars using rubber ringed seals. In any event the idea is to exclude air, which carries mold spores, which breed with delight and abandon on encountering something with this much sugar in it.

Return to Recipe Index