JAM AND JELLIES MADE WITH HONEY

by ROCHELLE KROOT:

Faith B. Lasher's article "The Delightful Elderberry" (MOTHER NO. 22) contained an editorial appeal for advice on making jelly with honey. Accordingly, I'm passing on some of the California Honey Advisory Board's recipes for sugarless fruit confections.

A hint from CHAB: If you prepare jams and jellies with natural sweetening, you should remember that the moisture content of honey varies according to location. In California, for example, sweets made with honey from the northern part of the state will be softer than the same products made with the output of bees kept farther south.

I hope these recipes will be of value to readers who love sweets but want to avoid refined sugar. Enjoy!

PEAR AND CHERRY CONSERVE

2-1/2 to 3 pounds fully ripened Bartlett pears
6 lemon slices
3 Tbs. seedless golden raisins
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
4 cups mild-flavored honey
1 bottle liquid pectin

Peel, core and coarsely chop the pears. (There should be 5 cups.) Cut the lemon slices into eighths. In a 6—8-quart saucepan, mix together all the ingredients except the pectin. Bring them to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, and boil them hard for 5 minutes. (Give the mixture an occasional turn with a spoon to prevent scorching.) Remove the pan from the heat and at once blend in the liquid pectin. Skim off the foam with a metal spoon, and continue to stir and skim for 5 minutes to prevent the fruit from floating. Ladle the conserve into hot sterilized jars and seal the containers. This recipe makes about seven half-pint glasses.

HONEY PINEAPPLE JAM

2-1/2 cups (1-pound 4-1/2-ounce can) crushed pineapple
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3-1/4 cups mild-flavored honey
1/2 bottle liquid pectin