Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for April 20, 2016

Jam is thicker. Jelly is “runnier”. That’s because jam has more of the agent that thickens it, which usually is pectin, if I understand correctly. Then there is marmalade, which I understand is made from fruits that are naturally rich in pectin, so no extra pectin is added. Thus you normally find marmalade made of citruses like oranges, since they have a lot of pectin in the rind. That is also why orange marmalade normally has little strips of orange peel in it. I learned this when I first got to the US and couldn’t figure out (nor anyone could tell me) the difference between the three. In Spanish we call them all “mermelada” and just complain about it having the wrong consistency.

Jelly is made from the Juice of the fruit only. No fruit pulp or body in the final result. Which is why most Jellies tend to be “see through” in small quantities. Jam is both juice and pulp and therefore thicker. Conserves have juice pulp and pieces of fruit in the final product.

Used to help my mother make all three types when I was a kid. Got to “Play” with liquid parafin under very close supervision both for everyone’s safety and to keep stupid “guy” stuff from occurring.

It the last panel it appears that Janis has her trusty smart device in her hands and is about to see what the difference is. We should all know tomorrow.

We begged to eat the fpurple foam off the top when Mom made grape jelly and she swore it would kill us. Was ol’ mom lyin’ to us?

I am not sure, but I believe that jam has pieces of the actual fruit in it, such as chunks of strawberries, blueberries, etc., while jelly is kind of like a thick Jello like substance, with only the flavor & color of the fruits.

In Britain and Australia, jam comes in a jar and is spread on bread. Jelly is a gelatine-based dessert for children. I thought that, since American singer Jelly Roll Morton used to sing “it must be jelly ‘cause jam don’t shake like that”, it was the same in the USA. Then I lived there for a while and found out that Americans are totally confused about the matter. They have resorted to calling jelly “Jello”, after a brand name.

Robin Harwood —we’re not confused at all…we simply have different names for things in different parts of the world.When you buy a product in a jar, for instance, it is supposed to conform to the description of that term…. To expand on what Ken the C.D. said….In the US, “jelly” is a clear, sweet, spread usually made from fruit juice and sugar…. though it can be made from other things, like wine, vegetable juice, or liquid in which mint leaves, or other herbs, have been steeped.

“Jam” is the most common…. made from sugar and crushed or cut fruit, cooked till it all breaks down together.

“Preserves” are made with mostly whole fruit, cooked with sugar till the juices run out and the whole thing turns into a sort of jelly containing large pieces of fruit.

“Marmalade” usually refers to a citrus jam containing the fruit peel along with the pulp, some water, and more sugar than jam made from soft fruits.“Conserve” is usually similar to jam, but used as a condiment… it may contain ingredients like dried fruits, cranberries, nuts or spices.

Some may be made with other sweeteners such as honey (which doesn’t set up well, in my experience) or artificial sweeteners.The stuff called “jelly” in the UK and Oz was never called that here… it was called gelatine dessert…but the Jello brand is very old, and the name, to their chagrin, caught on long ago as a generic term…much like “kleenex” and “scotch tape.”

In Britain, a similarly co-opted brand name is biro… most Americans wouldn’t know what is meant by it.

OK, Susan, I’ll bite…What is a biro?

OK, and what is the difference between a couch, a sofa and a davenport?

Dr. McCoy, thanks for the reminder of “Jam Up and Jelly Tight”…I have no idea what it means, but I remember it…And didn’t Tommy Roe also do “Oh, Sweet Pea”?

I like this Janis….I wonder if she has a good pea soup recipe?

I wanted to take a stab at making homemade jelly/jam/preserves, but the amount of sugar going in turned me off to the idea.

Jam has chunks of fruit and jelly is smooth without any pieces of fruit. Go to the jelly/jam aisle of the store and have a look-see.

Maybe Janis should get cooking and serve Arlo some of her sweet jelly roll.

The way my kids understand it is that jam spreads easily, jelly does not. Most of them liked jelly because you end up with more on the bread.

For me, Janus’ statement about her (deceased) grandmother seems overly harsh and atypical for Janus.

On the Davenport-sofa-couch thing……..My grandparents referred to it as the “Divan”. This was back in the 50s-60s

I’d like to know if the grandmother Janis disliked was her maternal or paternal grandmother and what she did that caused Janis to dislike her.

There’s a southern expression, “Must be jam ‘cause jelly don’t shake like that!”.

Jam is made from whole fruit.Jelly is made from the juice.

Who doesn’t know that?

Jam is in the jars marked jam, Jelly in in the jars marked. Jelly is usually kept near the peanut butter but no where near pea soup.

Sorry…. I have accidentally typed her name incorrectly before. I did, of course, mean “Janis” not Janus. My apologies.

I answered this question yesterday, before it was asked.

VarnesAnd to prove I am fluent in Canadian, you left out chesterfield.

Oh my. Childhood drama creeping up.

Dani…Thanks for the recipe but…….Where’s the ham? Pea soup needs lots of ham chunks in it!

ellisaana, yup, a ham bone is a good start…..But the more ham the better…..MORE PIG BELL!……..

Answers here: http://blog.madisonseating.com/furniture/know-your-furniture-sofa-loveseat-divan-or-canape.html

CharlieGirl… thanks…. and you’re welcome, Sue Lester.

While I_do_ look up a lot of things on my computer and my smartphone, I didn’t so it this time…I wrote what I know, from years of eating and making those things…and from when I used to volunteer at the County Fair, and sometimes watched the judging.

A biro is what we call a ballpoint in the US….but we don’t use that word.An English friend many years ago got annoyed with me, when he wanted to borrow a biro and I said I didn’t know what that was…. He thought I was being disingenuous, so I wouldn’t have to lend one.

Bill Spencer… in some parts of the (mostly Southern) US and Mexico any soft drink is called a Coke…then you’re asked what kind of Coke you’d like, ie, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Orange soda?

Sure, it’s wrong…. but it’s also wrong to call all cellophane tape Scotch tape but we all do it. “What brand of kleenex do you buy?”

Varnes, if you like pea soup, and I do….start with a ham bone and some onions, and NOT so much water you dilute the flavor…add some peeled carrots and dried peas and it’s hard to go wrong. Add more ham chunks later… along with salt and pepper and whatever spices you like in it, like a bay leaf. Personally I like it pretty plain…….. maybe a bit of garlic.

The secret is in not trying to make 2 gallons of soup from one bone.

Why did no one mention preserves? Unless it’s the same as conserves but not quite as thick, perhaps? Preserves is made with pieces of cut up fruit, such as peach, pear, or apricot.

Thank you Susan…..Carrots, huh? I never would have thought of that…..Charlie girl, I freezes well…….Sir Make-a-lot and Ms. Freeze-a-lot ride together…..hippogriff, chesterfield?

VarnesAs I said, Canadian. In fact, it is the only name for that piece of furniture I ever heard when I lived in Vancouver in the 1970s.