In Alaska the time is ripe for berry picking, and I have been making jams, jellies and liqueurs. When making a jelly or liqueur it is essential to remove all of the seeds before canning. I like raspberry currant jelly, but the seeds of the current berry are large and need to be filtered out first.
One product that comes to my aid every jelly making fall is cheese cloth. My local Fred Meyer store sells Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth, and this product is in such high demand the store has it displayed in four different places in the store. It is found in the baking goods aisle, the home repair aisle, the canning aisle, and the hunting aisle. My husband tells me that cheese cloth is a product also used by hunters when they are out in the field. I was fortunate to purchase the last two packages of cheese cloth!
Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth is a soft and absorbent cotton cloth that is referred to as a “multi-purpose cloth for home and garage”. The package claims it is ideal for polishing, painting, cleaning and cooking. The white fabric resembles gauze because it is very loosely woven. It measures two square yards. The package also states that the Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth is “low-linting”, which is what you need when using this product to make preserves.
Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth makes a good cloth for straining out the seeds and pulp when making jellies and liqueurs. I have never used it for the other recommended purposes mentioned on the back of the package, such as drying an automobile, cleaning up around the home, or tool maintenance on the job site.
Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth is very thin and airy. While opening the cloth I shook it out like one would shake a rug, and white specs of white thread flew everywhere! I had to shake the cloth several times to remove all of the loose threads. The second package revealed only one small spec of loose thread, so be sure to inspect your cheese cloth before straining your berries, you don’t want little pieces of cotton in your preserves!
Buffalo Industries Cheese Cloth is an inexpensive product, retailing for only $1.19. Because the cloth is so loosely woven I chose to use multiple layers before placing my crushed berries into the cloth. I let the liquids drain through the cloth before gently squeezing to remove more juice. It worked quite well, and because it was so cheap I didn’t feel bad about throwing the cloth away when the job was finished. I highly recommend cheese cloth when you need to strain the juice from berries with seeds. Just be sure to check your cloth for loose threads.