In a jam ... or is it jelly?

Dear Heloise: I’ve often wondered, what’s the difference between jam and jelly?—Mary H., Hammond,

Ind.

Grea t question— let’s take a look. Most all of the parts of the fruit are used to make jam. Its texture is thicker, with pieces of real fruit, and can be crunchy with, for example, strawberry seeds. Jelly, by comparison, is made with just the juice of the fruit, so it is thinner in consistency.

Let’s talk nutrition: Jam contains more vitamins and minerals than jelly, although each has 50 calories and no fat. Commercial jams and jellies may have added sugar in them. It really comes down to personal preference!—Heloise

P.S. Marmalade is a jam of sorts, but it’s made strictly from citrus fruits and even can contain the ground-up peel of the fruit!

RECYCLE REDO

Dear Heloise: Here are some recycling hints:

Plastic shower caps from hotels make great bowl covers.

Don’t throw away chopsticks—they make great gardening stakes.

Plastic bags from grocery stores make great dirty clothes bags while traveling.

—Donald S., Ralston, Neb.

COPPER-BOTTOM POTS

Dear Heloise: Please print the “recipe” to clean copper-bottom pots.—Joan P., Lewistown, Pa.

Joan, happy to! Believe it or not, a condiment can come to the rescue! Ketchup makes a good copper cleaner because of its vinegar and acid content. Rinse the pot, then rub on a small amount of ketchup topped with a sprinkling of salt, and buff in with a soft cloth. Use a damp cloth to rinse, and then dry with a clean cloth.

Cheap, nontoxic and readily available, vinegar is one of my favorite go-to household cleaners.

It’s important to keep copper clean; any black markings can lead to uneven heating of the pot and the food.—Heloise

IT’S IN THE BAG

Dear Heloise: My city has had a big increase in homeless people. Rather than give money to these folks, my daughter-in-law and granddaughter have made up clear zipper-top bags with small toiletry items to hand out. They keep some in the car for easy giving.—Shirley in Central California

CLIP IT TO FIT IT

Hello, Heloise: I have salon-size (big) shampoo bottles and family-size (smaller) ones, but the salon size has a pump; the family size does not.

Once I finish the salon size, I remove the pump, clip the tube to fit the family size (clipping the end at a slight angle) and put it in the family-size bottle.—Mary A., Vancouver, Wash.

BANISHING SAND

Dear Heloise: Rather than dealing with washing sand off my grandchildren at the beach, I carry baby powder in my car. I sprinkle it on their legs, brush it off, and no more sand! Easier and cleaner than water.—Mrs. B., via email

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise. com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.