Gooseberry Jam disaster

[johninblackpool]

Hi Folks,

Just had a disaster with my gooseberry jam.

1st batch has set great I used 400g of green gooseberries 600g of red + 1000g sugar

2nd batch has not set as good with the same gooseberries but 750g sugar

3rd batch has not set at all with same gooseberries and 500g sugar

The reason I was trying less sugar was to make it a little healthier and taste more of gooseberry than sugar..... unfortunately it hasn't worked

my question is can I empty them out and reboil with the extra sugar
or is it a lost cause and cut my losses and use it as a coolie

it does taste nice with ice cream but prefer it as jam

[roitelet]

Yes it can be boiled up again with more sugar.

[Noosner]

Yes, I agree with Roitelet that you can boil it up again and all will be fine. I read somewhere very recently (have just Googled but can't now find the source!) that if you want to use less sugar in jam, 80% is about the minimum if you still want it to set.

[mothhawk]

There is a pectin that will set fruit with less sugar, it's how diabetic jams are made I think. The pectin is from citrus peels and you have to add calcium phosphate to it.......googles...........
here you go...

Make Delicious, Low-sugar Jams and Jellies - Real Food - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

[Two_Sheds]

The sugar is what preserves the jam, so don't try to go too low, or it might end up mouldy

[Noosner]

That's interesting, Mothhawk. Diabetic jam sounds a contradiction in terms but perhaps if you can't eat sugar, it's a very welcome thing.

[johninblackpool]

Sorry for the late reply but thanx folks,
I have decide to leave it as it is and use it on ice-cream......its great

[marchogaeth]

Sorry for the late reply but thanx folks,
I have decide to leave it as it is and use it on ice-cream......its great

I was going to say, you can keep it in the freezer and use it as a sauce. It won't freeze solid (probably) because of the sugar content.