A linen crash jelly bag is a funnel-shaped cloth bag for straining jelly.
Crash is a fabric, made from heavy, rough flax that can be woven in finer or coarser grades. It’s an older term that went out after the Second World War.
The word “crash” here is presumed to come from the Russian word “krashenina”, meaning “coloured linen.” It was sometimes also referred to as “Russian crash.”
Russian-made crash become scarce after the Russian Revolution, and disappeared from the market in Western Europe altogether after the Second World War. Now cloth called “crash” may be made of a blend of flax linen and other fibers, or cotton, etc.
Crash can be used for kitchen towels and as backing for needlework.
It dries quickly.
Substitutes
Coarse flannel
Literature & Lore
“For straining the juice, have a funnel-shaped bag made of coarse flannel or strong, coarse linen crash. The bag will be found more handy if a small hoop of wire is sewn around the top and two tapes attached to hang it by while the hot juice is draining, or a wooden frame to support the bag may be easily constructed like the one shown on page 74. A dish to receive the juice should be placed underneath the bag, which should first be wrung out of hot water, and the scalded fruit, a small quantity at a time, turned in; then with two large spoons press the sides of the bag well, moving the fruit around in the bag to get out all the juice, and removing the pressed pulp and skins each time before putting in a fresh supply of the hot fruit. If a very clear jelly is desired, the juice must be allowed to drain out without pressing or squeezing. The juice of berries, grapes, and currants may be extracted without the fruit being first scalded, if preferred, by putting the fruit into an earthen or granite-ware dish, and mashing well with a wooden potato masher, then putting into a jelly bag and allowing the juice to drain off for several hours.”
— Mrs. Ella Eaton Kellogg, Science in the Kitchen. Chicago: Modern Medicine Publishing Co. 1893. Page 205.