Pectin is a very important part of making jams. It's not often that I'd make some without adding pectin. Here's a list of high pectin fruits that have enough pectin in them to make jam without adding pectin:
Apples, sour
Blackberries, sour
Crabapples
Cranberries
Currants
Gooseberries
Grapes (Eastern Concord)
Lemons
Loganberries
Plums (not Italian)
Quinces
Anything else needs pectin to be added. I often hear (erroneously) that strawberries are a high pectin fruit and adding pectin isn't needed. NOT SO! If you have under ripe berries you might be able to get away with it, but under ripe berries taste bad. Under ripe fruit often has higher pectin content than it's ripe version. When I preserve jam made of these fruits, I always add pectin:
Apricots
Blueberries
Figs
Grapes (Western Concord)
Guavas
Peaches
Pears
Plums (Italian)
Raspberries
Strawberries
I got interested in making jams and jellies without using commercially prepared pectin for a number of reasons. First of all, I am thrifty and it can cost well over $2 per box. Secondly, I just wanted something a little more natural. A pectin factory receives apple residue or citrus peels from juice factories. It's mixed with acid to get all the pectin out of the sludge. The solids are separated and then alcohol is added to precipitate the pectin out of solution. Ammonia is added to some kinds to make it work without added sugar normally needed (those expensive brands of pectin that allow you to make jams and jellies without adding sugar), and then it's mixed with dextrose or sugar to stabilize it. The good news is you can make all the pectin you need with apples and lemons.
Last year, I wrote about how to make your own pectin. Check it out! Happy canning!
10 comments:
Can you preserve things without adding sugar or sugar substitutes? A friend is trying to avoid sweeteners. The box pectin always requires sweetener in the instructions.
Sure, you can preserve things without adding sugar. To make jams and jellies without it, you need a specially prepared commercial pectin for that purpose, like Pomona brand. It is fairly pricy, though.
I am a bit confused. Emily at Preserving Traditions taught a pectin-free strawberry jam recipe that worked just fine with ripe strawberries. Do you think it's just riskier to not use pectin with strawberries?
Strawberry jam made by any method is tasty. I've made strawberry jam all 3 ways - adding boxed pectin, adding no pectin and adding natural pectin as described in this method. Strawberry jam without adding any pectin at all takes longer to cook, requires lots more sugar and results in less product than if you add pectin. And sometimes, it might not set up at all.
You can actually make jams without pectin for quite a bit of fruits. I recently had some blueberries that were a little under ripe. Following the Ball canning book 9 cups blueberries mashed and 6 cups sugar, it made a lovely, really set jam. It was gelling pretty early on. I ended up getting a yield of 4 pints (whole pints) and 1 -12 ounce jar. Whawhoo I was excited.
I make various sorts of jam and jelly, and never use commercial pectin. I find it adds a taste that I'm not keen on.
For high pectin fruits, such as sloes or apples, you don't need it anyway.
For low pectin fruits, such as strawberries, I add some unwaxed lemons, cut in half. I squeeze them first, add the juice, get rid of the pips, and put the halves in with the strawberries, removing them just before putting jam in jars.
Lemons (and other citrus fruits) are very high in pectin, and the lemon flavour adds a lovely edge to strawberry jam, which can other wise taste far too sweet.
i have a question, do you HAVE to use pectin? i want to make blackberry jam, i am using stevia, and i don't want to buy the pamona brand, although akins carry's it, i am frugal to the bone!! **big smile** but my question is, may i use unflavored gelatin to make it set? and will that work or does it alter the taste? this will be my first time making a jam... LOL
If you are using stevia, yes, you must use a Pomona style pectin or it won't set up properly. Jams need sugar to set up.
after posting here i did find some recipes for unflavored gelatin, i'm going to try BOTH of them, to see how it turns out... i'm not a big fan of spending tons of money OR using lots of sugar! LOL My sugars will love me in the end!! **big smile** although i'm not sure how my taste buds will... or my kids will love me!! **big grin** Thank you so much for letting me know..
Educate me,please .. .. .. .. what is the function of pectin in jam and jelly recipes? Is it for flavor, texture, thickness, preserving?
Thanks ~ Chris
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