Sugarless Jam
Adding sugar to homemade fruit jams has typically been necessary to achieve a firmly set jam. Instead of making fruit jams with sugar, use special pectin formulated to make fruits into deliciously thick jams without adding any sugar. The taste of the fruit jam without additional sugar is sure to be a wonderful treat.
The Pectin
Visit barryfarm.com (see resources) to purchase Pomona's Pectin. Packages contain pectin powder, calcium powder and complete instructions and recipes for creating a variety of different sugarless fruit jams.
Prepare the Fruit
Use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, mulberries or blueberries for fruit jam. Other fruits that are suitable for sugarless jam are kiwi, plums, pineapple, pears, peaches, figs, mangoes and apricots.
Wash all fruits well. Remove any hulls and stems. Peel skins off and slice the fruits. Remove any seeds and pits, if present.
Mash the fruits with a potato masher.
Make Calcium Water
Mix ½ teaspoon white calcium powder and ½ cup water in a small lidded jar. Shake well to combine. This mixture keeps for several months in the refrigerator.
Make the Jams
Make strawberry, blueberry, kiwi, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, plum or pineapple jam by placing 3 cups of mashed fruit and 1/4 cup lemon juice in a sauce pan. Add 2 teaspoons of calcium water and mix well. Measure 1 cup of fruit juice concentrate into a separate saucepan and boil. Pour the concentrate into a blender and combine with 2 teaspoons pectin powder. Process until blended. Heat the fruit and calcium water until it boils and add the juice and pectin mixture. Stir continuously for one minute. Boil again and then remove from heat.
Make cherry, pear, mango, peach, apricot or fig jam by placing 3 cups of mashed fruit and ¼ cup lemon juice in a large saucepan. Add 4 teaspoons of calcium water and mix well. Follow the above directions, except add 3 teaspoons of pectin powder to the fruit concentrate instead of 2 teaspoons.
Yields and Storage
These recipes make approximately five cups of jam. Preserve the jams in a boiling water-process bath for ten minutes or freeze the jams for extended storage. If refrigerated, the jam will keep for approximately three weeks. The jams may change color slightly but this will not affect quality or flavor.
Tags: calcium water, fruit jams, pectin powder, calcium powder, calcium water well