Jam and it's sugar!

[scarey55]

Sue,
What a great idea. I would never have thought to keep the leftovers from apples to make puree. I use quite a few apples in recipes and always "feed" the cores and skins to the compost, never thought to keep them in this way. Many thanks for the tip.
Clare

[Alice]

Hello Caroline, I think it has all been said, but briefly
Yes it is possible to make jam without sugar BUT they taste awful, don't store well and are preserved with some kind of preservatives.
I would go with sugar as the lesser of the evils and go for a rare treat.

[Farmer_Gyles]

bit of home made jam on toast? why not ....!
i'm making plum jam tomorrow - not too worried about sugar content, even though i'm trying to be good and not scoff too many nice things! it's only a little bit of jam each time ....

[terrier]

You can make a very good honey with pears - although that's sugar again, but it is out of this world, get it right and it's just like runny honey with the most delicate fragrance and taste of pears. I just need someone to give me the leftovers from their pear tree and I'll be whipping out the preserving pan as quick as you like.

Pear honey, MMmmmmmmm. Recipe please. Sounds to good to miss.

[Jaxom]

This was a problem that faced many jam makers during the Second World War. Fruit could be found in gardens and the hedgerows of the UK but sugar was on the ration books. No one ever had success with out the sugar.

[serenity]

Hi shirl, priceless tip given to me by 2 sheds was to check out my local council’s online library resource. you can search through all the books that your library holds across the city and if there is a book that you would like to read then you can reserve it online and they will even deliver it to your local library for collection free of charge AND notify you when it is there I was like a child in a sweety shop first time I used the service and reserved loads, the service is very efficient and I ended up with 15 books awaiting collection within a week
i am not a big fan of jams so didn't want to waste money on a book that i would rarely use so borowed a WI jam pickles and chutneys book and coppied down a rcouple of recipies.

[TonyF]

Interesting this thread.

A lot of the expensive artisan jams you buy here are not set. My fav jam lady - aka Crystal Tips - makes wonderful jam and very little of it is set. She just makes it with fruit and sugar with minimal pectin.

I've bought a couple of good and really inexpensive French jam making books and most of them are soft set recipes, except the agrume (citrus fruit) marmalades and jams of course.

Todays foray into jam making is plums from one chum's garden with walnuts from another, all organic and using unrefined sugar. P&W jam is really good and as it's soft set, goes well with morning yoghurt.

[CarolineSonning]

Thanks everyone for all the input. I guess it will have to be just a little bit of jam, though I will try reducing the sugar a bit!

[yoanbob]

good idea caroline, all other methods contain man made chemicals or highly processed food stuffs that have only been available for 30 years or so, so no real long term effects on health have been observed, at least sugar is natural. you could try just pureing the fruit and freezing for deserts in winter

[NOG]

- but now you can buy preserves with no added sugar I was wondering what they did to stop it going off, and if I could do it too!

You have three options: Freeze it, dry it or can it.

Freezing may be the cheapest option.
Drying needs you to buy a Dehydrator £100.
Canning is big in the states where you can get all the kits, you put it in the can put the top on and boil.

I got a free freeze off Freecycle and turn it on about now and stuff it full of stuff. It gets turned off when we have eaten it all.

[Sue]

Terrier
For you, Pear Honey
This is from an old recipe book called Let's Preserve It by Beryl Wood and it doesn't do metric. A wonderful book, hundreds of preserving recipes, worth getting one if you can find it. Mine cost 40p new back in 1970.

Recipe
Pears, Sugar, Water
Take off blossom end of small pears, quarter fruit and put in pan with water to cover, simmer till very soft, strain through jelly bag. Put juice in pan with 3/4lb sugar per pint of liquid and bring to boil, simmer to thin syrup.

It's divine on porridge and also with yoghurt!
best wishes
Sue

[Headfry]

Hi Sue, does it keep well?

[terrier]

Thanx Sue, I'll hopefully get a reasonable crop of pears this year so I'll try some of that.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i've just made my first batch of plum jam - and it's good!
1 pound plums (stoned), 1/2 pint of water, 1 pound of jam sugar
i wasn't too precise with the cooking - mostly guesswork - but it kinda worked ok
made 1 and a bit jam jars of jam - thought i'd get a lot more
jam does taste nice - not as sweet as i expected with all that sugar, but it's good
don't expect i saved much money, if anything at all, but was nice to actually make jam ...

[Sue]

Terrier
I've never had a problem with it's keeping, although it never lasts that long by the time friends and relations have got their hands on it as well.
best wishes
Sue