Jam - What did I do wrong?

[rybread]

So I've been searching for a jam that was free of both added sugars, and sweetners. Strawberries are sweet enough, thanks!

Alas, I haven't been able to find any. So I decided to make my own.

I bought a box of regular old Certo Pectin, and followed its directions for strawberry jam (1 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries, and 1 pouch of Certo). I just didn't add the sugar it called for. I jarred it, and let it sit for the required 24 hours to set.

My jam is still liquid-y.

What did I do wrong? Does it really need the sugar to set? Bah!

Has anyone successfully made jam without adding sugar or sweetner? If so, how??

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

Sorry, I've never made jam so I'm clueless. But, there is a jam you can buy that has no added sugar, its made by a company called 50/50 and they market it towards diabetics so if your grocer has a diabetic section you can find it there.

[not2late]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

So I've been searching for a jam that was free of both added sugars, and sweetners. Strawberries are sweet enough, thanks!

Alas, I haven't been able to find any. So I decided to make my own.

I bought a box of regular old Certo Pectin, and followed its directions for strawberry jam (1 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries, and 1 pouch of Certo). I just didn't add the sugar it called for. I jarred it, and let it sit for the required 24 hours to set.

My jam is still liquid-y.

What did I do wrong? Does it really need the sugar to set? Bah!

Has anyone successfully made jam without adding sugar or sweetner? If so, how??

Regular pectin preparations need sugar. There is a pectin preparation for sugar free or reduced sugar jams/jellies. I haven't tried making any jams or jellies because like you I find the natural fruit sweet enough.

Sometimes, I do a super lazy, sped-up version of "sun-preserves". I toss some whole fruit or chunked fruit onto a baking sheet, set it in a low oven and let it dry out until the fruit is wrinkly, but not completely dry and brittle. Then I cool it and throw it in a food processor and pulse it to the texture I want. It won't have the "jellified" look but it has all the flavor and sweetness. I usually store leftovers in the freezer. I mainly use this as a "fruit stuffing" base or a chutney base for chicken breast or pork chops.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

I just found this recipe

Sugar free strawberry jam recipe

3 qt Whole strawberries; fresh or frozen
1 pk (3 oz) strawberry-flavored sugar-free gelatin
6 10 packets sugar substitute

Crush berries until a small amount of juice forms. Place in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat add the sweetener and mix well. Adjust sweetener to taste. Pour into jars or plastic containers. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Yield: 2-3/4 cups

http://www.jelly-recipes.net/sugar-f...wberry-jam.php

[sadie147]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

I don't make jam either..but i have made a type of spread..I jsut cook down the berries in a pot on the stove, with a bit of water, until they're cooked down and thickened a bit (about 15 mins?)then i refrigerate it. I do put sweetener in mine (liquid sugar twin) but you could do it without. I usually do a combination of strawberry/rhubarb in small batches since i don't know what the fridge life would be since it's not properly jarred. Not as thick as jam..but good as a spread.

MOG's recipe she posted looks like it would be good...you could even try unflavoured Knox gelatin?

I've seen s/f jams at Shoppers Drug Mart in the diabetic section but i've never looked to see if there's sweeteners. As for storebough i use ED Smith, as it has the lowest carb count (it's 2g per tbspn, Smuckers is 4 or 5)

HTH

[rybread]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

Sorry, I've never made jam so I'm clueless. But, there is a jam you can buy that has no added sugar, its made by a company called 50/50 and they market it towards diabetics so if your grocer has a diabetic section you can find it there.

Alas, 50/50 has sweetner in it. I had a look at it the other day while in the grocery store. I wasn't too happy with the nutritional label on it - at least Smuckers no-sugar-added jam lists the amount of sucralose per serving on the label.

I guess I'm just gonna hafta settle for jam with sweetner.

[rybread]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

I just found this recipe

Sugar free strawberry jam recipe

3 qt Whole strawberries; fresh or frozen
1 pk (3 oz) strawberry-flavored sugar-free gelatin
6 10 packets sugar substitute

Crush berries until a small amount of juice forms. Place in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat add the sweetener and mix well. Adjust sweetener to taste. Pour into jars or plastic containers. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Yield: 2-3/4 cups

http://www.jelly-recipes.net/sugar-f...wberry-jam.php

Ooooh! That looks good. I have some SF gelatin sitting in my cupboard, just gotta buy more strawberries. I wonder if it would work without the sugar substitute?

[rybread]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

Regular pectin preparations need sugar. There is a pectin preparation for sugar free or reduced sugar jams/jellies.

Darn. So much for my great idea!

I noticed the sugar-free pectin, but put it back because there's sugar substitute already in it. I'm going to try MOG's recipe below without the sweetner, and see how it comes out.

[Kisseslikepearls]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

I can't answer what was wrong, but I did find a recipe that you might be interested in:

3 C Blueberries
3 C Raspberries, divided
3 C sugar
3 T lemon juice

Put 2 C of the raspberries and the blueberries in a large heavy pot (make sure to leave room for it to boil up since it needs to be at a rolling boil for a while). Add sugar and lemon juice. Stir over med heat until sugar dissolves and fruit juices. Increase heat and bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the raspberries and boil 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Test by dropping jam onto a cold plate, return plate to freezer for 2 minutes, then run a finger through the jam, if it stays seperate, its done. Pour into jars and if you want to process, place in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Since you're cooking the jam down, and there's no additional pectin, you'd be able to use something like splenda or even possilbly remove the sugar period. You've got leeway with the set-up test so theoretically you could cook it until it gels on its own. You might want to re-try the strawberries in this manner as well. If you want, let me know since I have simular recipes for Gingered Plum, and Spiced Peach Jams, along with the nutritional info (with the sugar).

[locarbman]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

So I've been searching for a jam that was free of both added sugars, and sweetners. Strawberries are sweet enough, thanks!

Alas, I haven't been able to find any. So I decided to make my own.

I bought a box of regular old Certo Pectin, and followed its directions for strawberry jam (1 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries, and 1 pouch of Certo). I just didn't add the sugar it called for. I jarred it, and let it sit for the required 24 hours to set.

My jam is still liquid-y.

What did I do wrong? Does it really need the sugar to set? Bah!

Has anyone successfully made jam without adding sugar or sweetner? If so, how??

Hi rybread,

You used the wrong pection...here's some information I found a couple of years ago that you may find helpful. Pomona's Universal Pectin has worked very well for me in making SF jams and jellies:

"In Reply to: linda, where in the world do you find something like this? posted by v on June 14, 2002 at 8:16 am:

Well the fruit itself is sugar anyway, right? So fruit juice is sugar too, but it's fruit! Anyway, I know what you mean. You may be able to find some ready-made jams to order online, but I do know you can make your own! It's not hard. You need to buy "Pomona's Universal Pectin" because it is the only pectin which will jell without sugar or juice! You can find it at any old supermarket or health market too. The little box it comes in has an insert of recipes. Here is some info I have on it.

TRULY SUGARLESS JAMS JELLIES

Pomona's Universal Pectin gels regardless of the sugar concentration in the jam or jelly requiring only the calcium naturally present in most fruit to set firmly. A small packet of food grade monocalcium phosphate comes in each box for use with low calcium fruits. Monocalcium phosphate is used as a yeast nutrient in baking and acidulant in baking powder, and as a mineral supplement.

Now jam and jelly makers can easily and successfully make low and no sugar fruit spreads that are thick, healthful and delicious. Pomona's Pectin firmly gels fruit products sweetened with any amount of honey, sugar, fruit juice or artificial sweetener . IT WORKS EQUALLY WELL WITH 100 PERCENT FRUIT.

Pomona's Pectin can be used in a number of applications: cooked jams and jellies, uncooked 'freezer' jams and jellies, aspics, jelled milk puddings, chilled pie fillings and as a vegetarian gelation substitute. It gels fresh, frozen or canned fruit and juice.

Many jam and jelly makers have been frustrated by the pectins generally available. These pectins do not work without a 55 percent or higher sugar concentration and they are not pure products.

Some large manufacturers have introduced pectin products that require less sugar but they contain undesirable additives. All pectins available today, EXCEPT POMONA'S PECTIN, have sugar as one of the ingredients and many have preservatives as well. People today are concerned about product purity. Pomona's Universal Pectin is 100 percent pure citrus pectin powder.

Because Pomona's Pectin does not have the sugar normally added by manufacturers for the purpose of gel strength standardization (the strength is standardized by blending pectin with pectin); it is more concentrated. A 1 ounce box will gel 20 cups of fruit. A box of ordinary pectin will only gel 3-5 cups of fruit with about an equal amount of sugar. Therefore, a box of Pomona's gels 4 times as much fruit and twice as much finished product. That's both economy and healthful eating.

Pomona's Universal Pectin is derived from the peel and pulp of lemon and lime, and to a minor extent orange and grapefruit. Citrus peel is a by-product from juice and oil pressing and contains a high proportion of pectin.

The pectin is extracted using hot, acidified water and then precipitated out of solution with alcohol. Some amide groups are then introduced into the pectin molecule during the process of de-esterification (a process by which the pectin is changed from high-methoxyl to low-methoxyl). High-methoxyl pectin requires a sugar concentration above 55 percent to gel whereas low-methoxyl pectin gels in the presence of calcium ions.

This calcium sensitive, amidated, low-methoxyl pectin is packaged under the name Pomona's Universal Pectin. Each 1 ounce box includes thorough instructions and easy to follow recipes. Each 1 ounce box makes 2 - 4 recipes. Although LM (low-methoxyl) pectin has been known to industry for some time, Pomona's Universal Brand finally put it on the retail shelves in health food stores. Pomona's Universal Pectin is not recommended as a dietary supplement. Pomona's Universal Pectin can be ordered directly from:


Pomona Universal Pectin
c/o Workstead Industry
P. O. Box 1083
Greenfield, Massachusetts (MA) 01302
(Telephone and Hotline: 413-772-6816)


Up to 5 of the one ounce boxes cost $3.50 each (handling and packaging included). Orders of 5 or more boxes cost $3.25 each. Quantity orders are cheaper. Make checks payable to Workstead Industry.’

Hope this helps...

[sadie147]

Re: Jam - What did I do wrong?

Rybread, I saw this at Loblaw's yesterday. It's Bernardin No sugar required Pectin, for jams with no sugar, or jams with splenda. It was with the other pectins, around all the spices/sugar/bakins products. Here's the info


http://www.homecanning.com/can/ALPro...CAT=482&P=1054