If you are
diabetic, sugar restricted or have other reasons to avoid refined sugars, you can
make sugar-free jam using natural sweeteners (honey, fruit juice, etc.) or
Splenda instead of sugar; but only if you use one of the following:
Click on the links to see current prices (the links open new windows, just
close them or minimize them to return here)
But I'll warn you that if you
don't add ANY sugar the jam will be a bit more bland, the color will be
darker and it generally is a bit more runny. It seems to work best
to use a 50-50 mix of Sugar and Splenda or fruit juice and Splenda. For
the regular recipe (with sugar) click
here!
But you can make no-sugar and overcome some of the issues: A
visitor, who is a diabetic, writes "For flavor, I add in lime or lemon
juice in, depending on the fruit. Blackberries, blueberries do well with
lime, most other fruit does okay with lemon. You can also add cinnamon to some pit fruit, which gives it a nice flavor, too. You can also add
some fresh lemon zest in to add to the flavor. I usually only add about
1-2 cups of Splenda. My experience is that as long as the fruit is
fresh, well-washed, and well-cooked, that it'll keep, just like other
jams. "
Here's how to do it, in 10 easy steps and
completely illustrated. These directions work equally well for strawberry,
blackberry, raspberry, peach, fig, loganberry, boysenberry, blueberry or mixed berry
jam. Any variations will be spelled out in the directions inside the
pectin.
Jar funnel ($2 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page) or order it as part of the kit
with the jar grabber.
Sweetener - see step 4
Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)- Big box stores and grocery stores sometimes carry them; and it is available online - see this page. It's a tremendously useful to put jars in the canner and
take the hot jars out (without scalding yourself!). The kit sold
below has everything you need, and at a pretty good price:
At least 1 large pot; I prefer 16 to 20
quart Teflon lined pots for easy cleanup.
Large spoons and ladles
1 Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars
after
filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at big box stores and grocery stores.). Note:
we
sell canners and supplies here, too - at excellent prices - and it
helps support this web site!
Ball jars (Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger, Safeway carry them, as do some big box stores - about $8 per dozen quart
jars including the lids and rings)
Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with
a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They
may only be used once.
Rings - metal bands that secure the lids
to the jars. They may be reused many times.
Optional stuff:
Foley Food Mill ($25) - not necessary; useful if you want to remove seeds (from blackberries)
or make applesauce.
Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling
water where you sterilize them. ($2 at big box stores or it comes in the kit at left)
Jam-making Directions
This example shows you how to make either Strawberry jam or Strawberry - Raspberry -
Blackberry Jam - also called Triple Berry Jam (my favorite, and everyone I give
a jar to, says it has become their favorite, too!) But you can use this
recipe to make any type of jam; where there is a difference, I will point it
out! The yield from this recipe is about 8 eight-ounce jars (which is the same
as 4 and a half pints).
Step 1 - Pick the berries! (or buy them already
picked)
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better
quality ones!
At right is a picture I took of wild
blackberries - they are plentiful in late June throughout Georgia. I
usually look in rural north Georgia.
I prefer to grow my own; which is
really easy -
but that does take some space and time.
As mentioned in the Ingredients
section; you may use frozen berries (those without syrup or added sugar);
which is especially useful if you want to make some jam in December to give
away at Christmas!
Above
and at left are strawberries and blackberries that I picked at a
pick-your-own farm. If you want to pick your own, here is a
list and links to the pick your own farms.
Step 2 - Wash the jars and lids
Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later.
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle, the water bath processing will
sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher with a sterilize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then
sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot
water until they are used.
NOTE: If unsterilized jars are used, the product should be processed
for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result
in a poor set (runny jam), it’s better to sterilize the jars.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready
to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when
you fill them with the hot jam.
Step 3 - How much fruit?
Jam can ONLY be made in rather small batches - about 6 cups at a
time - like the directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes
or the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken). It takes about 8 to 10
cups of raw, unprepared berries per batch to make 6 cups of mushed up,
prepared berries. For triple berry jam, I use 4 cups of mushed (slightly crushed) strawberries, 1 cup of raspberries and 1 cup
of blackberries.
Step 4 -Wash and hull the fruit!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain
cold water.
With strawberries you must remove the
hulls. With other
berries, just pick off any stems and leaves.
Then you just mush them up
a bit
- not completely crushed, but mostly. Most people seem to like large
chunks of fruit but crushing them releases the natural pectin so it can
thicken. You'll need about 6 cups, mushed up.
If you want seedless jam, you may need to
run the crushed berries through a Foley food mill (at right). They cost about $30.
It works well for blackberries, not so well for raspberries, and no one
tries to remove strawberry seeds (they're so small). I suppose you could
train monkeys to pick them out, but they'd probably form a trade labor
union. But I digress..
Step 5 - Measure out the sweetener
Depending upon which type of jam you're making (strawberry, blackberry,
raspberry, apricot, peach, grape, etc.) you will need to use a different
amount of sweetener (sugar, fruit juice, and or Splenda), jam and pectin -
to taste. Strawberries are obviously more naturally sweet than blackberries.
You'll need to use the No-sugar pectin, in order to get a good set with less
(or no) sugar.
Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup
of the sweetener mix and keep this separate from the rest of the sweetener.
Sweetener Options
No sugar - 4 cups of Splenda
Low sugar - 2 cups of Splenda and 2 cups of sugar
Fruit juice - 3 cups of fruit juice, 1 cup of Splenda
Honey - 2 cups of honey and 2 cups of fruit juice
Other combinations: Of course, you can use of
combinations of fruit juice, honey, sugar and/or Splenda. It will
be trial and error to find out what works best for you, as I haven't
tested all possible combinations. But remember, you will need some
amount of real sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose; found in honey, sugar
and fruit juice) in order to get a good "set" and flavor.
Step 6 - Mix the berries with the pectin and cook to a full boil
Stir the pectin into the berries and put the mix in
a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to
prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to
a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and
add a little) or else the jam is runnier than I like. With a little practice,
you'll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.
Is your jam too runny? Pectin enables you to turn out
perfectly set jam every time. Made from natural apples, there are also
low-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by almost
half!
Get it here at BETTER prices!
Step 7 - Get the
jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle; you don't really have to sterilize
the jars - the boiling water bath sterilizes everything; but you DO want
to get the jars as clean as you can first.
I get the dishwasher going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the
time I'm ready to fill the jars.
Lids: put the lids into a pan of
hot water for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface
and clean the lids.
Step 8 - Add the remaining sweetener and bring to
a boil
When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the
sweetener (about 4 cups of sweetener per 6 cup batch of berries) and then bring it back to
a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
Step 9 - Testing for
"jell" (thickness)
I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a
glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool
to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the
consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a
little more pectin (about 1/s to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a
boil again for 1 minute.
Step 10 - Let stand for 5 minutes and stir completely.
Why? Otherwise, the fruit will often float to the top of the jar.
This isn't a particular problem; you can always stir the jars later when you
open them; but some people get fussy about everything being "just so", so
I've included this step! Skipping this step won't affect the quality
of the jam at all.
Step 11 - Fill the jars and put the lid and
rings on
Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the
top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into
the boiling water canner!
This is where the jar tongs come in really
handy!
Step 12 - Process the jars in the boiling
water bath
Note: Some people don't even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jam and then not to process the jars to be sure they don't spoil!
Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water
boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes. I say "in general"
because you have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea
level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sterilize the jars and
lids right before using them. The directions inside every box of
pectin will tell you exactly. The directions on the pectin tend to be
pretty conservative. Clemson University says you only need to process
them for 5 minutes. I usually hedge my bets and start pulling them out
after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10. I rarely
have a jar spoil, so it must work.
Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. find they last about
18 months. After that, the get darker in color and start to get
runny. They still seem safe to eat, but the flavor is bland. So
eat them in the first 12 to 18 months after you prepare them!
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
Jar lifting tongs
to pick up hot jars
Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the
pot
of boiling water
(sterilizing )
Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once
Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need
them
Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
You can get all of the tools in a kit here:
Home Canning Kits
Features:
* All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set!
* Complete with 21 1/2 qt. enameled waterbath canner and "Ball Blue Book" of canning.
* Also includes canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrencher, bubble freer, tongs and lid lifter.
* A Kitchen Krafts exclusive collection.
This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother
used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and
lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs,
lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel,
labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars and lids (and the jars are reusable). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!
This is THE book on canning! My grandmother used this book when I
was a child. It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost
anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning
vegetables, meats, etc. If it can be canned, this book likely tells
you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no
obligation to buy)
local "big box" stores, sometimes Big Lots and local hardware stores, and usually grocery stores, like
Publix, Kroger
$2.00
Total
$19.52 total
or about $2.44 per jar
* pectin use varies - blackberry
jam needs very little, raspberry a little more, strawberry the most.
** - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and
reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! Many
products are sold in jars that will take the lids and rings for
canning. For example, Classico Spaghetti sauce is in quart sized
jars that work with Ball and Kerr lids and rings- some
authorities do not recommend these, saying they are more prone to break,
and while I have found that is true of mayonnaise jars, I have found the
Classico spaghetti jars to be pretty sturdy.
Can't find the equipment? We
ship to all 50 states!
Why should cooked jelly be made in small batches? If a larger quantity of juice is used, it will be necessary to boil it longer
thus causing loss of flavor, darkening of jelly, and toughening of jelly.
It really doesn't work. Trust me; I've tried many times!
Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh? Yep! Raspberries can be particularly hard to find fresh and are
expensive! Frozen berries work just fine, and measure the
same. Just be sure to get the loose, frozen whole fruit; not
those that have been mushed up or frozen in a sugar syrup!
What do I do if there's mold on my jellied fruit product? Discard jams and jellies with mold on them. The mold could be producing a
mycotoxin (poisonous substance that can make you sick). USDA and microbiologists
recommend against scooping out the mold and using the remaining jam or jelly.
Why did my jellied fruit product ferment, and what do I
do? Jellied fruit products may ferment because of yeast growth. This can occur if
the product is improperly processed and sealed, or if the sugar content is low.
Fermented fruit products have a disagreeable taste. Discard them.
Step 1 - Pick the berries! (or buy them already
picked)
a bit
- not completely crushed, but mostly. Most people seem to like large
chunks of fruit but crushing them releases the natural pectin so it can
thicken. You'll need about 6 cups, mushed up.
Stir the pectin into the berries and put the mix in
a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to
prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to
a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
d bring to
a boil
Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the
top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into
the boiling water canner!
lly
handy!
