If you use no sugar then ferment the cooked fruit paste in an anaerobic seal it will partially digest and sweeten and require no sugar! Yum! With severe arthritis I avoid all processed sugar and this method takes time but is really yummy! (I should mention that I learned this in an Eastern European country and the cooking down requires constant attention for 8-10 hours to become a heavy paste and after a week the fermentation must be stopped so it doesn’t digest all the natural sugars. This is done by heating it back to just a simmering boil then putting in jam jars (to seal) and refrigerating for about a week to be sure it has stopped fermenting. I did this with well ripened rhubarb and it is not only sweet but has remained bright and fresh for over five years in my pantry. But it works best with sweet fruits. Thank you for a nice video!
What a great idea. Most of us in the US are used to eating a jar of sugar flavored with fruit. This way is MUCH healthier and we might actually get to taste the fruit.
If you're cooking it down so much so that you end up with a cup of jam then that 1/4 cup of sugar sweetens 3/4 cup of fruit, no? The sugar doesn't reduce.
Great video! My wife usually takes care of this stuff, but she was too busy so I was stuck with a gallon of back berries to do myself. This video gave me all the information I needed for a great jam.
My mother use to put the peel of one orange in while cooking it. We had no pectin back in the day. She was cooking it down and testing thickness/setting along the way.
I so appreciate this! I am trying to eliminate white sugar and processed food and have been looking for such recipes as this. I also have enjoyed many of your other videos. God bless your ministry!
I make what i call frig clean out jam. In my large crockpot 6qt. I just add whatever fruit and occasionally ive even added 1 or 2 chunks of a veggie, cook it overnight turn it off in the am. Then noonish use my stick blender and for 6qt crockpot i will add juice of a citrus or half cup bottled lemon juice and maybe 3 cups cane sugar. Stir in, turn crockpot on high and when its bubbling i sterilize my jars and i do that in microwave one at a time with a cup water in a pint jar for 3 min. Then i put my lids in a pyrex bowl and turning my pint jars as i empty that hot water in the bowl over the lids. (Gloves avoid burning your hands or wrap the pint with linen towel when you take from mic. Then while next pints sterilizing. I use funnel and put my jam in first jar put lid n ring on and set it on my towel then cover with another towel like a tunnel over jars to allow them to cool off slowly. Just continue the above manner til all pulp is gone. We use it on pancakes with peanut butter on sandwich or add to hot cereal instead of sugar. We are so used to it regular jelly is just too sweet to us. I use any and all things and so far have not been disappointed. Canteloupe, bananas, apples, pears, berries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, any citrus fruit and anything ovetly ripe goes in, occasionally ive needed something fibrous to add body to a runny batch and threw in a couple baby taters, but carrots, peppers, even green beans. Truly, have picky eaters, add those high nutrition hated things to this jam. Youll be shocked how good it tastes and of course you can taste it at the blended stage to see if you want to add salt cinnamon etc. Works for us. Clean out that frig and quit throwing overripe fruit away.
Very informative. Thank you! My Grandson enjoyed picking from our blackberry patch that just started this year. We had such a dry summer that the blackberries stayed small and very seedy. I normally don't mind the seeds but these are extra seedy. I decided to try to make jelly from them. I'm glad to hear they have natural pectinin them. My Mom is 88 yrs old has canned a lot in her life. I was asking her if she knew that blackberries have natural pectin in them ? Also if she knew that you can make pectin from crab apples. She said a lady who she knew that lived to be 100 told her about the crab apples years ago. She couldn't remember if she knew about the blackberries. Good wonderful old natural ways. I love hearing all of this. Keep on sharing!
Love the fact there's more flavor with less sugar, and also being able to use unripened fruits to obtain pectin. Thank you very much! I will be making raspberry jam with this 1/4 cup method, cheers from BC Canada.
You're a Godsend Heidi! Really busy with chicks, garden, herbs this time of yr, but I have this beautiful harvest of strawberries, and your video makes it look sooo easy. Thanks
What a blessing this video I love your channel I have been trying to learn more about jams and canning which really are two massive learning curves I have done a fridge jam because using gooseberries and every time less sugar( the recipe called for jam sugar which is sold in the uk however I always had concerns about what that pectin was) This year I made two batches of strawberries and both still too sweet Also some cherry also too sweet and didn’t set but is still quite delicious in small quantities or as a syrup etc. we won’t waste them Yesterday I canned my first jar, had issues with bringing up to boil a very large stockpot to use as canner so ended up putting in oven warmed jars and used one of the fancy Kilner jars to can ( by then I replaced the water for just boiling from a kettle ) The seal has worked! My next experiment is to mix a combo of fruits from the freezer ( most were given or foraged but not enough of any to make one recipe) I want to include Rowan berries as well as cherries apples plums and currants. I did a small batch quickly to try the flavours and I love it 500grs of fruit and only one tbsp of jam sugar It has set well probably due to the apples Tomorrow Im making a mix of currants and will can them. I will go with a touch of sugar as you suggested Many thanks!!!
Great tip on the red berries for natural pectin! Did NOT know and the hubs (Mark) always grabs some red ones and now I must defrost and make this! Thanks Heidi, ❤ all y’all, Kristy in Missouri 😃🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Also saw this: Typically jams use roughly equal amounts of fruit to sugar. This is important for both how the jam sets and that it is preserved correctly. As mentioned above sugar absorbs moisture which is vitally important to keep spoilage microbes at bay. To make you jam last longer enough sugar is required. Some recipes use smaller amounts of sugar and will probably have stated on the recipe a shorter shelf life or will need to be kept in the refrigerator as soon as they are made. They do say about "canning" - Once the jams are added to the jar and sealed taking the extra step of heat processing the jars will ensure a longer lifespan. This is an optional step and is not necessary but will mean your jams last a lot longer. It is really simple to do, just bring a large pot of water to the boil and turn down to a gentle simmer. Carefully add the still hot sealed jars (a jar lifter is good for this) to the water bath and allow to sit in the simmering water for at least 10 minutes. Most recipes will state a processing time. Remove from the heat and you are done.
Thanks, Heidi ! Going to pull those berries out of the freezer & try this . I was getting so many blueberries, blackberries, & mulberries in at the same time this year, that I canned them without any sugar - just as canned berries. Some of them, I mixed all 3 kinds together.
For 4-5 years, I no longer add any sugar. I just put the fruit in a pan, turn on the heat, bring to a boil, turn down heat and stir so that it does not burn. It makes great jam, especially black cherries as well as using frozen fruit mixes, which even include mango chunks. Pineapple does not break down and is "anti-gel" effect, witness the advice to never add it to jello. The jams I make described above get very thick, are amazingly delicious and could not be easier to make. Try it. I just did it on a whim and it works well. I don't like oversweet jams/jellies anyway. It works
Thank you! Great video. My neighbor killed this years blackberries by setting a massive trash fire near them. 🙄. However the neighbor down the hill had a lot of Concord grapes and gave us 2 five gallon buckets. I am going to cook and strain them then finish using your ratios to make grape jelly. 🍇
Wild blackberries and elderberries are all over the place here in northern Maine (along with our better known blueberries). Can’t wait for harvest season, going to make lots of jam. I’m a diabetic that can eat fruit (no sugar), and will be using my usual combo of erythritol and stevia for sweetening. I’ll try Pomona’s Pectin. Thanks for the motivation!
@@deborahlopez7147 Yes, I can regularly with erythritol and a touch of stevia. That combination seems to be synergistic in sweetness for me. I use Pomona’s Pectin and mix 1/2 what they call for in their recipes with a cup of erythritol and boil it into my jelly or jam mixture. I make strawberry, elderberry, black raspberry, apple, peach, plum jelly and jams only with erythritol and stevia. Works fine in high pectin berries, a little additional for peach/plum/apple jellies. My current favorite is to mix a quart of elderberry juice with blackberry juice and blend in whole strawberries for a jam. Finally, I got over 6 gallons of both wild elderberry and wild blackberry juice this year.
@Michael Please send recipes !!!🤗 My husband is a Diabetic /w issues..... I'm reluctant to make jams/jellies because of that. I know of stevia, & have grown a little bit in my garden for experimenting: but that almost seems too sweet. 😬 I will be trying Heidi's recipes for her jams ect..... but would GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY of your input/insight as well as YOUR RECIPE on Stevia use & it's thickening ability/or not. *Also would LOVE TO CHANGE my Grandmother's (Kerr) Honey Spiced Pear Preserves to as low a sugar as possible !! Thanks in advance: p.s. I subscribed to your channel,.....& waiting 🥰 !! Michelle.
@@michellebradley9634 My fav: 1 quart Elderberry juice (from steam juicing fresh fruit), 3 lbs frozen strawberries, 1 cup erythritol, 2 tablespoons stevia liquid, 1/4 cup whole flax, 1/4 powdered psyllium husk, 16 oz raw almonds combined in a Vitamix on high for 2 min. Allow to sit and thicken 2 min, then spread on sheets in your style (cookies or sheets) then freeze dry (or dehydrate on low settings). Use with almond butter on top and a little more sweetener of your choice as needed (erythritol is mine). Delicious. You can substitute blueberries for the elderberry, or wait until the strawberries thaw and eliminate other fruit, adjusting consistency with small amounts of water. Experiment!
I'm planning on canning no sugar, no pectin jam this summer. I figure why not give it a try. If I open it up and it looks or smells bad, I won't eat it! Thank you for your wonderful, informative videos.
This old way is why when I started canning as an adult I didn’t know what pectin was. My aunt Edith never used pectin she canned the old fashioned way all the time. She was 99 in the 1995 when she passed.
Hi Heidi. I see from my book that late blackberries are poor in pectin and acid. In this case and with other low pectin fruit they say to reduce the sugar by 1/4. You must have read my mind. I just got 12 jars and lids on sale to make marmalade, lemon honey and lemon chutney. Theme - lemons to us up that were kindly donated to me. A good indicator that I am in winter Auckland New Zealand 😀😊
I used dark plums, blueberries, black currents, 1/2 juice of lemon, grated skin of the lemon, teaspoon of grated ginger cooked till soft left over night to cool fabulous. Great on hot buttered toast or breakfast oats softened with oat milk or Almond milk 🙏😇🙏
This is awesome!!! WOW! How cool is that making it without sugar at all! I love making jams as I like the fruit pieces too. What I HATE is all the sugar needed. If I could get a nice, chunky, spreadable jam with half the sugar...I'm down for that!! I mean let's be honest... sugar isn't cheap even when I was buying the crappy sugar it wasn't cheap. Stepping up to the healthier sugar and having to use so much of it cut my jam making down considerably. Now if I can get a decent jam with half the sugar I'm a happy girl. I love making it and giving it as gifts to friends and family who don't make it themselves. This will allow me to start again. Thank you so much for this! I love it!! You're just amazing! Love, hugs and blessings, Lisa
Looks great. I make jam with apple powder and about 1 part sugar to 4 part fruit if the fruit is prime. If not well do what we can. Specialty jams I try to half the sugar. Sometimes, I won't lie, I just eat all the dang sugar.
I just want to thank you for this video. I made muskedine grape jam today following this recipe. Turned out great! I canned 3 pint jars and one for the fridge. Every 2 cups of grapes- add 1/4 cup organic cane sugar. Added 1/4 cup water for every 4 cups grapes. I can’t thank you enough! Tomorrow making more, my grapes are ripping fast😊
Thanks Heidi, and great comments 😊! I am making muskadine grape jam now. I will try your recipe. I use as little Florida natural cane sugar as possible. It is true that it just requires longer cooking time... I cooked my last batch of beautyberry jam an hour, but used half as much jam. Thanks Ladies! Life, Love & Peace, 🍁🌴💜🌻
I respect all of your extra hard efforts to stay gmo free and sugarless organic way of life when ever possible …great information and will try this very soon…stay blessed
Brilliant video...So much information..thank you!... I am getting ready to make raspberry jam and raspberry sorbet...I dislike how much sugar is on commercial products, no matter how expensive they are. This video was very informative. Thank you for posting!
I just made some ground cherry jam using even less sugar. DEEELICIOUS!! 4 cups of fruit (ground cherries and one apple, minus the skin) and about 3/4 cup of sugar. Cooked it down and whaalaa 😊 yummy
Not sure if you watched to the end but I also made a batch with no sugar. However, one thing to keep in mind is that if you go that route, use up right away and/or can in half pint jars. If you can in larger jars and do not work through it fast enough, it will mold even in the fridge. One thing about the sugar content in jam is that it does preserve it longer
@@RainCountryHomestead I did watch until the end and I am aware that sugar preserves it better/longer, but thank you for letting me know... in case I hadn't known. 😁 Love your channel!!
Yes, the one without the sugar is the best. I make mine just like you did, and add only after cooking some Stevia extract. I have liquid and powered extract. In a jar that size maybe 5-7 Drops. works well. I just did some peaches and put 5 drops to each full jar. I don't cook my peaches, I steam them whole and then peal as soon as they get soft, Once soft from steam remove from heat and let stand until you can handle and peal. Remove pit and slice up into jar. top with stevia, purified water, and hot bath to seal.
Great video as always, we do the same over here, low sugar, no pectin added, just cooking it down, for the plums (big batch) it takes several hours even! But it is a feast and almost like a holiday, gathering over the big ball of plum jam! :-) Love love, love your tips, my favorite channel so far! Greetings from Croatia!
So glad you are making this video as a diabetic. Also would like to see your pectin recipe. I usually make jelly with blackberries though, I make jam with everything else, raspberries etc.
Great video. Thank you. I live in the UK so jam making is an old tradition. It's hard to break away from those old traditions but I always wanted to make jams with less sugar. My only concern is that the sugar (being practically a poison) is supposed to help kill bacteria along with the heat and excluding air in the jars (obviously) and make the jam last up to a year in storage. Why then all those years ago was I taught that. So more acid. Just add more lemon juice? I saw another video where someone cooked the fruit for up to 40min. I just left that video. As far as I know, heat destroys not just bacteria but nutrients too. I don't want to eat fruit flavoured sugar! So to make a jam with less sugar and still have it last in storage, would be great. I especially wanted to know how to make jam without pectin because you just can't get it now unless you order online. Now that I know it's not just pectin, even more reason to leave it out. Though our jams here have that pectin jelly like consistency that we love. Without pectin we just tend to call it a conserve rather than a jam. But that's just splitting hairs. Can't wait to experiment with less sugar and no pectin. Thanks again.
Thank you for the advice on getting organic Cain sugar. I did not know how bad white sugar was until you said that. my husband is a long haul covid victim with newly onset diabetes. I've been reading lately on how they made jam in the old days also. Today I am going to make the low sugar pectin free strawberry jam. thank you. ill be looking for more of your videos.
good to know about the crab apples. I have a tree and didn't know what to do with them all! We grow all of our own fruit but not I can make jelly using that as pectin! Thanks
I swear I am channeling you!!! I have blackberries that I wanted to make into jam but didn't want to use a lot of sugar, and was not sure if I could, so THANK YOU!! again and again!!!! and I like that you only made a little! no reason to not just do that instead of a bunch on the shelf like I have now that some need to be gotten rid of....thanks Heidi, gonna do this probably this weekend! PS. love the autumn apron! =)
Sweet! Since I cannot get reasonably priced pectin, the good kind, anymore I made all my jam without last year. I did add more sugar though than with the calcium/ pectin. The pectin was always 1/4 sugar to 3/4 fruit, last year I used probably 6 cups sugar to 8 cups of berries, only so I didn't have to cook it so long. Also all my jams have a lot of tart berries, red currants, so there is a good amount of pectin in. I will mix all kinds of fruit together too 😉 I think this winter I will go with less sugar again, though with plenty of tart berries a little more does not distract from the flavor. In Germany they sell sugar for jam making that has pectin added and if I remember right my mom always used equal amounts of fruit to sugar, or a little less sugar. We never canned our jam! The on the shelf pectin calls for what??? Twice the sugar ? That's NUTS 😂 THANKS for your testing this, now I can cut sugar again 😊
Reading through all these comments has given me a couple more ideas for adding sweetness without sugar. I will be trying some dates in at least one batch and then mixing honey into an unsweetened batch after it is cooked. :)
Try adding rosemary to your blackberry jam - delicious. i just made a jar of hascap berry jam w/o pectin or suger. I used some monkfruit/erythritol, since I am trying to get off sugar. It yelled nicely in 10 minutes and tastes great.
I would only try it with a dab first as it does not sound like something I would care for but my latest jam is blackberry and currant, such a perfect blend of sweet and sour. Have you considered using ONLY monk fruit extract and leaving out the sugar alcohols? It is more expensive but you need only a very tiny bit (1/8 tsp is equivalent to 1/3 cup of sugar) and it is a healthier option to erythritol.
@@RainCountryHomestead I did that yesterday, and it turned out really bitter. I’ll stick to the blend. But today I’m making nectarine jam without any sweetener or pectin - just a couple of chopped medjool dates
I'm with you on the preferring less Sugar jam thing, but it is absolutely not necessary to put commercial Pectin in Jam. You do need Pectin for a decent set but you get it by adding a high Pectin element, as you said Lemon Juice, the pips and peel can be boiled in the liquid bu held in a Jelly Bag, Cheesecloth or, what I use, when you ladder a pair of tights or a Pop Sock, I wasn them, scald them and tie that to the handle of my saucepan/preserving pan. It makes it easy to extract, easy to squeeze out (I use 2 saucers back to back to extract the 'Napalm' and last drips of pectin) then the whole thing goes in the bin. The other thing more Sugar does for Jam is stretch the fruit out using equal parts will give you a higher yield than low or no Sugar does, plus it spreads better. I find though that it masks the taste of the fruit, apart from Strawberry. The other thing is that the Sugar Thermometer isn't accurate in a small batch like you made, it can't rest on the bottom of the pan so there isn't enough liquid to properly cover the bulb. Using it for a bigger batch I find it works well, It keeps me from over-boiling the preserve .
The bulb should have been covered but this video is from last year and I do have time to watch it again. I did do a video more recently on why I do not use pectin and cover some of this. I really do not use a thermometer anymore, I go by sight and feel basically. ua-cam.com/video/29is62TmFFQ/v-deo.html
@@RainCountryHomestead I didn't mean yours Heidi, I meant in general I've never found it to be as reliable in small pans with small qtys. When you have more Sugar too you have more liquid floating around rather than just berries, I've made BlackBerry toffee rather than jam just doing a small batch with low sugar, the lack of liquid in between the berries is I think why a Candy Thermometer struggles a bit in a small batch.
I finally invested in a much better thermometer since then, it is stainless all around and actually sits at the bottom of the pan, still do not like to bother with it when making jam though - seems silly when I can usually tell by sight and texture, and even if it ends up becoming syrup, I am cool with that too :D
I really doubt that as I do not believe you would have enough natural pectin present like is in apples or berry seeds but you can try with a small amount and see if it works but in that case the sugar content would be what would help it thicken
I successfully made homemade pectin last year from slightly under ripe green apples. Took three attempts but I was pleased with this results. Like you, when I learned what was in store bought pectin and how it is made, I knew I needed to find a better way to make jam. Also, where did you purchase your stoneware cookie sheet?
I think I got my stoneware sheets from Pampered Chef but I am sure you can find some just as good for less money elsewhere - not a big Pampered Chef fan, I just bought from friends in the past to help support them.
Thank you so much! I'm making it right now with local blueberries. I have cut sugar use to a very minimum, except for jam. Been doing the 1 to 1 sugar and fruit, no pectin. So I'm doing today 1500 grams blueberries to 500 grams sugar. Next time I'll be bolder! 😊 Have you made citruses with less sugar? How low you think one can go?
Citrus peels have a lot of pectin in them which is why they are used in marmalades but I have yet to make any myself. Blueberries will requires more time to cook down as I have found they do not have as much pectin as blackberries but in any case, you should still be able to go as low as you want
Trader Joe’s makes an all fruit jam with no sugar. It is made with fruit pectin, but it’s otherwise made of: cherries, red grape juice concentrate, wild blueberries, pomegranate concentrate, white grape juice concentrate, citric acid, and absorbing acid.
Just watched this video and loved it! Can I use this recipe- 2 cups fruit, 1/4 cup sugar for any fruit jam? Particularly strawberries, peaches, etc. Thanks!
The sugar content will work for any fruit but keep in mind that fruits like peaches have far less pectin and may need additional fruit like apples, berries, or citrus peels for pectin if you choose not to use a store bought pectin
Thank you! Wonder if I could use brown sugar, or would that mess with the texture and/or flavor...? Thinking of adding a tiny bit of bay leaf water for some extra goodness as well. Love to experiment.
And again, you read my mind! I have fresh blackberries in my freezer and have been searching different methods on how to make a pectin free, low sugar jam! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe😊love and prayers for you both❤ PS. Will it loose the health benefits of the seeds if I remove the them after the jam is cooked?
Rain Country I watched a couple videos on how to do it. I would have too blend them up before cooking and then use my fine mesh strainer after they are done. Gary likes the seedless jams so I wanted to try😊❤
I should look into that, just for another option, though I have many. Mostly, I run my hot plate (seen here) in the nicer months off of solar power and in the cold and dark months I do all my cooking and much of my baking on top of my wood stove. As far as canning, I use the propane burner outside. Is that what you are referring to is for canning?
Rain Country, I'm referring to an actual Butane stove. It's compact and stores easily. The Butane canisters are very inexpensive, and last an extremely long time. You can search Butane Cook Stove, on UA-cam, and see what it is all about. 😊
O yes, I know what you are talking about, we do have one of those too but I always forget about it because Patrick keeps that out in his shop! I don't think we would ever run out of ways to cook at the rate we are going! haha
Hi ya Heidi! This is cool! I love toast an jam, and would make 2 pieces of toast with jam, but due to it being way to sweet, I wouldn’t eat anymore for along time, therefore I’d wind up having to throw it out cause it developed mold. I would like to make cranberry jam, seeing how there is not as much juice as there is n berries, would u suggest I added water in the boiling process? Ur suggestion is appreciated. Thank u
WHO KNEW?!? My mom would always use sealing wax on the top of all of her jellies and jams. Can you water bath can this blackberry jam? If so, what would the timing be? Also, what would the shelf life be? Thank you for all you do & freely bring that valuable info to us :-D Love & prayers
Yes, you can water bath it and it is funny you ask because I have another video talking more about that. I know if you were to look it up, the shelf life would say 1-2 years or something short like that like it does for most canned foods. However, as long as the foods still have a good seal, they can last for many years. I am still working on meat and potatoes I canned back in 2013 and have jams, syrups and fruit butters I canned in 2014 and they are all perfectly fine. I think I did finally get through all the 2013 jams and such! haha
Thank you for the detailed answer. I know you tell us not to go on just what you say & to do our own research. However, if Heidi says it, I believe it & that settles it ;) If it works for YOU, it WILL work for ME. Besides, I hate homework. :`D LOVE YOU!!! Prayers
I'm a jelly girl, lol. But I am so glad you made this video! Thank you Heidi. I always try to cut out the nasty stuff if I can. I made cherry jelly this year and hated adding all that sugar. Never again thanks to you.
Hi Rain, Thanks for sharing. I would love to see you use watermelon and cantoulope . I'm working on changing my diet with healthier sweet treats. I'll be watching.
My compromise for healthy, while not losing the volume from cooking it down, is to use Pomona's pectin. It's not cheap, but I only need to use about a tablespoon for 10-11 cups of fruit, with 2 cups of sugar, so It works really well for me.
@@RainCountryHomestead I have used the Pomona's as well and liked it for the fact of less sugar, but once the jar is opened it only last about 3 weeks before getting mold. How long did your pectin-less jams last once opened.? The nasty store bought stuff has a good life of several months once opened. sigh
No I don't, sorry, but maybe I will shoot one this year, it is really nothing special and the only thing I prefer using ziplock freezer bags to over my food saver when it comes to freezing
hummm what im looking for is a lemon/orange pectin,sugar free marmalade. I know it sounds a little tart but its what im looking for lol :) was wondering if you have a vid on that. if you do thank-you big time. Or i should say no added pectin.
I don't have a video specifically on that but if you are using lemon and orange peels, there is no need for added pectin because there is plenty in the peels. One of my favorite apple butters is blueberry lemon. I do not remember if I have a recipe specifically on that one, I think the one I have is plum lemon apple butter
Use honey, no pectin no sugar, boil the jars after you fill them for 45 minutes and it will last on the shelf for 2 years. No sugar no pectin just a quarter cup of honey.
I would not add honey because I keep my honey raw. Cooking it makes it equal to can sugar so I will stick with can sugar for the jam and save the more precious honey for things in which I am going to keep it raw such as my elderberry syrup (honey added AFTER it has cooled from cooking) or my honey infused garlic, et cetera
Could you please share the link with the video that you were talking about for the acidity and sugars for jam thanks for the video. I’m going to do this right now 😊
I do not know what video link you mean. I had to go back and listen to some of this old video and I did mention another lady talking about such things but it was either comments she had made on another video (I do not recall which as it was too long ago) or it was on facebook. But I may have missed what you meant here as my computer froze up part way through listening to what I was saying here
Hi Heidi, I'm excited to try making blueberry jam with 1/2 cup cane sugar to 1 cup berries with some lemon peels. Have you tried with coconut sugar? Also do you have a video on canning these jams? Thank you God Bless :)
Hello again. I’m really bingeing your videos so I have lots of questions. I made some jam using Pomona pectin and got a bit too much in the recipe. Needless to say I ended up with jam that tastes good but is really too jelled for toast. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might thin it and use it for ice cream or pancake topping? As always, I appreciate your patient, wise help.
I would assume you could warm it, which that alone would decrease the viscosity but if that is not enough, consider adding a little juice to it to thin it out
Heidi, I have very sweet muscadine grapes and I can't have any kind of sugar in my diet so I want to can the grape jam without sugar. Is the sugar only for taste? Would I need to add pectin? I have some really small crab apples on my tree right now that I could use if needed. What do you think? If I do it this way, can I can it for being shelf stable?
Some grapes are higher in pectin than others. I know concords are up there with other berries but I do not know about muscadines so I cannot be certain how well it will gel up for you without adding crab apple or some other high pectin fruit. No, you do not need the sugar for preserving, all fruits can safely be canned without sugar.
Bayou Town....I discovered low methoxl pectin can be used with stevia and other sugar sjbstitutes. There's also a method using chia seeds to solidify the fruit into a thick gel consistency.
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you for taking the time to test using less sugar. I can't wait to try it and be able to actually taste the berries-- instead of the great flavor being drowned in sugar.
Not an updated video as I always make my jams without pectin but I also change things up like I did with this salmon berry rhubarb jam: ua-cam.com/video/1sCxhpAokmU/v-deo.html
If you use no sugar then ferment the cooked fruit paste in an anaerobic seal it will partially digest and sweeten and require no sugar! Yum! With severe arthritis I avoid all processed sugar and this method takes time but is really yummy! (I should mention that I learned this in an Eastern European country and the cooking down requires constant attention for 8-10 hours to become a heavy paste and after a week the fermentation must be stopped so it doesn’t digest all the natural sugars. This is done by heating it back to just a simmering boil then putting in jam jars (to seal) and refrigerating for about a week to be sure it has stopped fermenting. I did this with well ripened rhubarb and it is not only sweet but has remained bright and fresh for over five years in my pantry. But it works best with sweet fruits. Thank you for a nice video!
Run a tutorial
What a great idea. Most of us in the US are used to eating a jar of sugar flavored with fruit. This way is MUCH healthier and we might actually get to taste the fruit.
"A jar of sugar flavored with fruit" haha! Yep! That is what it is!
If you're cooking it down so much so that you end up with a cup of jam then that 1/4 cup of sugar sweetens 3/4 cup of fruit, no? The sugar doesn't reduce.
It's still better that store bought, which is really just fruit flavoured sugar 😆
Great video! My wife usually takes care of this stuff, but she was too busy so I was stuck with a gallon of back berries to do myself. This video gave me all the information I needed for a great jam.
My mother use to put the peel of one orange in while cooking it. We had no pectin back in the day. She was cooking it down and testing thickness/setting along the way.
Thanks for the work you do regarding more natural and lower sugar. I'm borderline diabetic and I appreciate all the information you put out !!!!
I so appreciate this! I am trying to eliminate white sugar and processed food and have been looking for such recipes as this. I also have enjoyed many of your other videos. God bless your ministry!
I make what i call frig clean out jam. In my large crockpot 6qt. I just add whatever fruit and occasionally ive even added 1 or 2 chunks of a veggie, cook it overnight turn it off in the am. Then noonish use my stick blender and for 6qt crockpot i will add juice of a citrus or half cup bottled lemon juice and maybe 3 cups cane sugar. Stir in, turn crockpot on high and when its bubbling i sterilize my jars and i do that in microwave one at a time with a cup water in a pint jar for 3 min. Then i put my lids in a pyrex bowl and turning my pint jars as i empty that hot water in the bowl over the lids. (Gloves avoid burning your hands or wrap the pint with linen towel when you take from mic. Then while next pints sterilizing. I use funnel and put my jam in first jar put lid n ring on and set it on my towel then cover with another towel like a tunnel over jars to allow them to cool off slowly. Just continue the above manner til all pulp is gone. We use it on pancakes with peanut butter on sandwich or add to hot cereal instead of sugar. We are so used to it regular jelly is just too sweet to us.
I use any and all things and so far have not been disappointed.
Canteloupe, bananas, apples, pears, berries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, any citrus fruit and anything ovetly ripe goes in, occasionally ive needed something fibrous to add body to a runny batch and threw in a couple baby taters, but carrots, peppers, even green beans.
Truly, have picky eaters, add those high nutrition hated things to this jam. Youll be shocked how good it tastes and of course you can taste it at the blended stage to see if you want to add salt cinnamon etc.
Works for us.
Clean out that frig and quit throwing overripe fruit away.
Can I pressure cook small plums with seeds then strain out seeds?
Very informative. Thank you! My Grandson enjoyed picking from our blackberry patch that just started this year. We had such a dry summer that the blackberries stayed small and very seedy. I normally don't mind the seeds but these are extra seedy. I decided to try to make jelly from them. I'm glad to hear they have natural pectinin them.
My Mom is 88 yrs old has canned a lot in her life. I was asking her if she knew that blackberries have natural pectin in them ? Also if she knew that you can make pectin from crab apples. She said a lady who she knew that lived to be 100 told her about the crab apples years ago. She couldn't remember if she knew about the blackberries. Good wonderful old natural ways. I love hearing all of this. Keep on sharing!
Love the fact there's more flavor with less sugar, and also being able to use unripened fruits to obtain pectin. Thank you very much! I will be making raspberry jam with this 1/4 cup method, cheers from BC Canada.
Right! The flavor is SO much better, you actually taste the fruit, not just sugar!
Thanks! Going to try this with my blackberries this afternoon. Love the "no sugar", no pectin concept.
You're a Godsend Heidi! Really busy with chicks, garden, herbs this time of yr, but I have this beautiful harvest of strawberries, and your video makes it look sooo easy. Thanks
What a blessing this video
I love your channel
I have been trying to learn more about jams and canning which really are two massive learning curves
I have done a fridge jam because using gooseberries and every time less sugar( the recipe called for jam sugar which is sold in the uk however I always had concerns about what that pectin was)
This year I made two batches of strawberries and both still too sweet
Also some cherry also too sweet and didn’t set but is still quite delicious in small quantities or as a syrup etc. we won’t waste them
Yesterday I canned my first jar, had issues with bringing up to boil a very large stockpot to use as canner so ended up putting in oven warmed jars and used one of the fancy Kilner jars to can ( by then I replaced the water for just boiling from a kettle )
The seal has worked!
My next experiment is to mix a combo of fruits from the freezer ( most were given or foraged but not enough of any to make one recipe)
I want to include Rowan berries as well as cherries apples plums and currants. I did a small batch quickly to try the flavours and I love it
500grs of fruit and only one tbsp of jam sugar
It has set well probably due to the apples
Tomorrow Im making a mix of currants and will can them. I will go with a touch of sugar as you suggested
Many thanks!!!
Great tip on the red berries for natural pectin! Did NOT know and the hubs (Mark) always grabs some red ones and now I must defrost and make this! Thanks Heidi, ❤ all y’all, Kristy in Missouri 😃🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Learn something new every time I watch you - thanks I love chunky seeds and all jam too! I make elderberry and dew berry jams.
Also saw this: Typically jams use roughly equal amounts of fruit to sugar. This is important for both how the jam sets and that it is preserved correctly. As mentioned above sugar absorbs moisture which is vitally important to keep spoilage microbes at bay. To make you jam last longer enough sugar is required. Some recipes use smaller amounts of sugar and will probably have stated on the recipe a shorter shelf life or will need to be kept in the refrigerator as soon as they are made. They do say about "canning" - Once the jams are added to the jar and sealed taking the extra step of heat processing the jars will ensure a longer lifespan. This is an optional step and is not necessary but will mean your jams last a lot longer. It is really simple to do, just bring a large pot of water to the boil and turn down to a gentle simmer. Carefully add the still hot sealed jars (a jar lifter is good for this) to the water bath and allow to sit in the simmering water for at least 10 minutes. Most recipes will state a processing time. Remove from the heat and you are done.
Thanks, Heidi ! Going to pull those berries out of the freezer & try this . I was getting so many blueberries, blackberries, & mulberries in at the same time this year, that I canned them without any sugar - just as canned berries. Some of them, I mixed all 3 kinds together.
I do not think I have ever had a mulberry, they do not grow up here. Aren't they similar to a logan berry?
Thank you for your wise comments about toxic aspects of pectin, and artificial sugars.
God Bless you!
Thanks for another option from the unhealthy versions in the store. I love the option of using very little sugar. Thanks so much.
Thank you Debbie, glad I can be helpful!
For 4-5 years, I no longer add any sugar. I just put the fruit in a pan, turn on the heat, bring to a boil, turn down heat and stir so that it does not burn. It makes great jam, especially black cherries as well as using frozen fruit mixes, which even include mango chunks. Pineapple does not break down and is "anti-gel" effect, witness the advice to never add it to jello. The jams I make described above get very thick, are amazingly delicious and could not be easier to make. Try it. I just did it on a whim and it works well. I don't like oversweet jams/jellies anyway. It works
Thank you! Great video. My neighbor killed this years blackberries by setting a massive trash fire near them. 🙄. However the neighbor down the hill had a lot of Concord grapes and gave us 2 five gallon buckets. I am going to cook and strain them then finish using your ratios to make grape jelly. 🍇
I watched that using 1/4 of fruit unripened, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 2 tbs powdered chia seeds will fix issues with no pectin and no sugar.
Wild blackberries and elderberries are all over the place here in northern Maine (along with our better known blueberries). Can’t wait for harvest season, going to make lots of jam. I’m a diabetic that can eat fruit (no sugar), and will be using my usual combo of erythritol and stevia for sweetening. I’ll try Pomona’s Pectin. Thanks for the motivation!
So do you still can with the erythritol? That’s an answer I can’t seem to find
@@deborahlopez7147 Yes, I can regularly with erythritol and a touch of stevia. That combination seems to be synergistic in sweetness for me. I use Pomona’s Pectin and mix 1/2 what they call for in their recipes with a cup of erythritol and boil it into my jelly or jam mixture. I make strawberry, elderberry, black raspberry, apple, peach, plum jelly and jams only with erythritol and stevia. Works fine in high pectin berries, a little additional for peach/plum/apple jellies. My current favorite is to mix a quart of elderberry juice with blackberry juice and blend in whole strawberries for a jam. Finally, I got over 6 gallons of both wild elderberry and wild blackberry juice this year.
@Michael Please send recipes !!!🤗 My husband is a Diabetic /w issues..... I'm reluctant to make jams/jellies because of that. I know of stevia, & have grown a little bit in my garden for experimenting: but that almost seems too sweet. 😬 I will be trying Heidi's recipes for her jams ect..... but would GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY of your input/insight as well as YOUR RECIPE on Stevia use & it's thickening ability/or not. *Also would LOVE TO CHANGE my Grandmother's (Kerr) Honey Spiced Pear Preserves to as low a sugar as possible !! Thanks in advance: p.s. I subscribed to your channel,.....& waiting 🥰 !! Michelle.
@@michellebradley9634 My fav: 1 quart Elderberry juice (from steam juicing fresh fruit), 3 lbs frozen strawberries, 1 cup erythritol, 2 tablespoons stevia liquid, 1/4 cup whole flax, 1/4 powdered psyllium husk, 16 oz raw almonds combined in a Vitamix on high for 2 min. Allow to sit and thicken 2 min, then spread on sheets in your style (cookies or sheets) then freeze dry (or dehydrate on low settings). Use with almond butter on top and a little more sweetener of your choice as needed (erythritol is mine). Delicious. You can substitute blueberries for the elderberry, or wait until the strawberries thaw and eliminate other fruit, adjusting consistency with small amounts of water. Experiment!
I'm planning on canning no sugar, no pectin jam this summer. I figure why not give it a try. If I open it up and it looks or smells bad, I won't eat it! Thank you for your wonderful, informative videos.
This old way is why when I started canning as an adult I didn’t know what pectin was. My aunt Edith never used pectin she canned the old fashioned way all the time. She was 99 in the 1995 when she passed.
Hi Heidi. I see from my book that late blackberries are poor in pectin and acid. In this case and with other low pectin fruit they say to reduce the sugar by 1/4.
You must have read my mind. I just got 12 jars and lids on sale to make marmalade, lemon honey and lemon chutney.
Theme - lemons to us up that were kindly donated to me.
A good indicator that I am in winter Auckland New Zealand 😀😊
I used dark plums, blueberries, black currents, 1/2 juice of lemon, grated skin of the lemon, teaspoon of grated ginger cooked till soft left over night to cool fabulous. Great on hot buttered toast or breakfast oats softened with oat milk or Almond milk 🙏😇🙏
This is awesome!!! WOW! How cool is that making it without sugar at all! I love making jams as I like the fruit pieces too. What I HATE is all the sugar needed. If I could get a nice, chunky, spreadable jam with half the sugar...I'm down for that!! I mean let's be honest... sugar isn't cheap even when I was buying the crappy sugar it wasn't cheap. Stepping up to the healthier sugar and having to use so much of it cut my jam making down considerably. Now if I can get a decent jam with half the sugar I'm a happy girl. I love making it and giving it as gifts to friends and family who don't make it themselves. This will allow me to start again. Thank you so much for this! I love it!! You're just amazing!
Love, hugs and blessings, Lisa
I made yesterday strawberry jelly with less sugar and it taste good. Thank you for your teachings. God bless! Karen
Looks great. I make jam with apple powder and about 1 part sugar to 4 part fruit if the fruit is prime. If not well do what we can. Specialty jams I try to half the sugar. Sometimes, I won't lie, I just eat all the dang sugar.
I just want to thank you for this video. I made muskedine grape jam today following this recipe. Turned out great! I canned 3 pint jars and one for the fridge. Every 2 cups of grapes- add 1/4 cup organic cane sugar. Added 1/4 cup water for every 4 cups grapes. I can’t thank you enough! Tomorrow making more, my grapes are ripping fast😊
Thanks Heidi, and great comments 😊! I am making muskadine grape jam now. I will try your recipe. I use as little Florida natural cane sugar as possible. It is true that it just requires longer cooking time... I cooked my last batch of beautyberry jam an hour, but used half as much jam.
Thanks Ladies!
Life, Love & Peace, 🍁🌴💜🌻
Based on this we just did a single batch of 9 quarts of grape jelly with 50% recommended sugar,,, Worked great!
Nice!
Excellent, Im all for using less sugar, and doing as much as we can for ourselves, very inspiring! Loving your videos from the UK xx
I respect all of your extra hard efforts to stay gmo free and sugarless organic way of life when ever possible …great information and will try this very soon…stay blessed
Thanks again for sharing with us your knowledge on healthier jams and jellies. 💚☘️😊
Brilliant video...So much information..thank you!... I am getting ready to make raspberry jam and raspberry sorbet...I dislike how much sugar is on commercial products, no matter how expensive they are. This video was very informative. Thank you for posting!
So glad you found this useful! Thank you!
I'm waiting for my Ice cream maker to come to put blackberry syrup on.homemade ice cream not frozen goop.
I just made some ground cherry jam using even less sugar. DEEELICIOUS!!
4 cups of fruit (ground cherries and one apple, minus the skin) and about 3/4 cup of sugar. Cooked it down and whaalaa 😊 yummy
Not sure if you watched to the end but I also made a batch with no sugar. However, one thing to keep in mind is that if you go that route, use up right away and/or can in half pint jars. If you can in larger jars and do not work through it fast enough, it will mold even in the fridge. One thing about the sugar content in jam is that it does preserve it longer
@@RainCountryHomestead I did watch until the end and I am aware that sugar preserves it better/longer, but thank you for letting me know... in case I hadn't known. 😁 Love your channel!!
isn't pectin in the apple skins then remove?
@@deanyanko3326 the ground cherries also have some pectin.
Yes, the one without the sugar is the best. I make mine just like you did, and add only after cooking some Stevia extract. I have liquid and powered extract. In a jar that size maybe 5-7 Drops. works well. I just did some peaches and put 5 drops to each full jar. I don't cook my peaches, I steam them whole and then peal as soon as they get soft, Once soft from steam remove from heat and let stand until you can handle and peal. Remove pit and slice up into jar. top with stevia, purified water, and hot bath to seal.
That looks like it just might be the perfect jam recipe! I'm glad it worked and you didn't get yourself into a jam. 😉
Haha! You are so punny! :D
I enjoyed this video it was so helpful I just love the idea you made without sugar . Thank you for this video
I love the natural taste of the fruit on hot toast cold goat butter then the jammy fruit 🙏😇🙏
Great video as always, we do the same over here, low sugar, no pectin added, just cooking it down, for the plums (big batch) it takes several hours even! But it is a feast and almost like a holiday, gathering over the big ball of plum jam! :-) Love love, love your tips, my favorite channel so far! Greetings from Croatia!
Thank you so much!
I always learn something new at your channel!!
So glad that we can cooki without measuring out stuff !
So glad you are making this video as a diabetic. Also would like to see your pectin recipe. I usually make jelly with blackberries though, I make jam with everything else, raspberries etc.
Carol, I need to make no sugar jams and jellies. Have you ever done this with muscadine grapes?
Great video. Thank you. I live in the UK so jam making is an old tradition. It's hard to break away from those old traditions but I always wanted to make jams with less sugar. My only concern is that the sugar (being practically a poison) is supposed to help kill bacteria along with the heat and excluding air in the jars (obviously) and make the jam last up to a year in storage. Why then all those years ago was I taught that. So more acid. Just add more lemon juice? I saw another video where someone cooked the fruit for up to 40min. I just left that video. As far as I know, heat destroys not just bacteria but nutrients too. I don't want to eat fruit flavoured sugar! So to make a jam with less sugar and still have it last in storage, would be great. I especially wanted to know how to make jam without pectin because you just can't get it now unless you order online. Now that I know it's not just pectin, even more reason to leave it out. Though our jams here have that pectin jelly like consistency that we love. Without pectin we just tend to call it a conserve rather than a jam. But that's just splitting hairs. Can't wait to experiment with less sugar and no pectin. Thanks again.
Thank you for the advice on getting organic Cain sugar. I did not know how bad white sugar was until you said that. my husband is a long haul covid victim with newly onset diabetes. I've been reading lately on how they made jam in the old days also. Today I am going to make the low sugar pectin free strawberry jam. thank you. ill be looking for more of your videos.
I read about beet sugar vs Cain sugar. In your video you said Cain sugar is not what they say it is. Are you referring to C&H pure Cain sugar?
Also have you done any remedies for Covid and lung scaring or BPH in men.
That’s a great experiment and it worked so well!
I'm looking for healthy options of jelly or jams. I'm border line diabetes. Your recipe is perfect.
great looking jam !! and low suger two !! best of both worlds !! thanks for sharing
I love this information! You are a wonderful teacher! :)
Thank you Kelli!
Oh thank YOU! Because of your inspiration, I'm whipping up a batch of jam and I'm making my own pectin from the apple tree! Whew hoo!
great job of explaining it. i am going to try with fresh pineapple.
Looks tasty, healthy, and easy! A winner! : )
good to know about the crab apples. I have a tree and didn't know what to do with them all! We grow all of our own fruit but not I can make jelly using that as pectin! Thanks
I swear I am channeling you!!! I have blackberries that I wanted to make into jam but didn't want to use a lot of sugar, and was not sure if I could, so THANK YOU!! again and again!!!! and I like that you only made a little! no reason to not just do that instead of a bunch on the shelf like I have now that some need to be gotten rid of....thanks Heidi, gonna do this probably this weekend! PS. love the autumn apron! =)
Thank you! I came across that fabric the other day in my stash and knew I just had to make a new apron for autumn with it! :D
Awesome video and great information...
Thank you! I'm heading to the market this week, I have a hankerin' to make some jam! :)
Sweet! Since I cannot get reasonably priced pectin, the good kind, anymore I made all my jam without last year. I did add more sugar though than with the calcium/ pectin. The pectin was always 1/4 sugar to 3/4 fruit, last year I used probably 6 cups sugar to 8 cups of berries, only so I didn't have to cook it so long. Also all my jams have a lot of tart berries, red currants, so there is a good amount of pectin in. I will mix all kinds of fruit together too 😉
I think this winter I will go with less sugar again, though with plenty of tart berries a little more does not distract from the flavor.
In Germany they sell sugar for jam making that has pectin added and if I remember right my mom always used equal amounts of fruit to sugar, or a little less sugar. We never canned our jam!
The on the shelf pectin calls for what??? Twice the sugar ? That's NUTS 😂
THANKS for your testing this, now I can cut sugar again 😊
Reading through all these comments has given me a couple more ideas for adding sweetness without sugar. I will be trying some dates in at least one batch and then mixing honey into an unsweetened batch after it is cooked. :)
Rain Country oh, waiting for the results 😊
If my fig tree ever prodoces.... fig and rhubarb I must try!
Super helpful. Thanks for sharing.
I love all of your videos. Thank you for what you do. God is good...all the time! ;)
As always excellent video ,TY 👌
I just love black berries I'm fixing to get me some bushes to put in my orchard
Try adding rosemary to your blackberry jam - delicious. i just made a jar of hascap berry jam w/o pectin or suger. I used some monkfruit/erythritol, since I am trying to get off sugar. It yelled nicely in 10 minutes and tastes great.
I would only try it with a dab first as it does not sound like something I would care for but my latest jam is blackberry and currant, such a perfect blend of sweet and sour. Have you considered using ONLY monk fruit extract and leaving out the sugar alcohols? It is more expensive but you need only a very tiny bit (1/8 tsp is equivalent to 1/3 cup of sugar) and it is a healthier option to erythritol.
@@RainCountryHomestead I have not, but I have pure monk fruit and will try that. Thanks, Heidi
@@RainCountryHomestead I did that yesterday, and it turned out really bitter. I’ll stick to the blend. But today I’m making nectarine jam without any sweetener or pectin - just a couple of chopped medjool dates
Your my favorite you have common sense
Very very informative 😊
Good video.
Instead of honey or sugar, you could use real maple syrup. You'll end up with great flavor but less sugar. :) Great video!
Yep, that is a good option but sugar is sugar if people are trying to avoid it. Maple syrup and honey are just a couple of healthier options
how is the taste with maple sugar?
I'm with you on the preferring less Sugar jam thing, but it is absolutely not necessary to put commercial Pectin in Jam. You do need Pectin for a decent set but you get it by adding a high Pectin element, as you said Lemon Juice, the pips and peel can be boiled in the liquid bu held in a Jelly Bag, Cheesecloth or, what I use, when you ladder a pair of tights or a Pop Sock, I wasn them, scald them and tie that to the handle of my saucepan/preserving pan. It makes it easy to extract, easy to squeeze out (I use 2 saucers back to back to extract the 'Napalm' and last drips of pectin) then the whole thing goes in the bin. The other thing more Sugar does for Jam is stretch the fruit out using equal parts will give you a higher yield than low or no Sugar does, plus it spreads better. I find though that it masks the taste of the fruit, apart from Strawberry. The other thing is that the Sugar Thermometer isn't accurate in a small batch like you made, it can't rest on the bottom of the pan so there isn't enough liquid to properly cover the bulb. Using it for a bigger batch I find it works well, It keeps me from over-boiling the preserve .
The bulb should have been covered but this video is from last year and I do have time to watch it again. I did do a video more recently on why I do not use pectin and cover some of this. I really do not use a thermometer anymore, I go by sight and feel basically.
ua-cam.com/video/29is62TmFFQ/v-deo.html
@@RainCountryHomestead I didn't mean yours Heidi, I meant in general I've never found it to be as reliable in small pans with small qtys. When you have more Sugar too you have more liquid floating around rather than just berries, I've made BlackBerry toffee rather than jam just doing a small batch with low sugar, the lack of liquid in between the berries is I think why a Candy Thermometer struggles a bit in a small batch.
I finally invested in a much better thermometer since then, it is stainless all around and actually sits at the bottom of the pan, still do not like to bother with it when making jam though - seems silly when I can usually tell by sight and texture, and even if it ends up becoming syrup, I am cool with that too :D
Wow, thank you!
Very informative. I just subscribed to you.
Thank you!
just started watching you. Love the no sugar no pectin recipes...so, can you do the same method to make peach peel and pit jelly?
I really doubt that as I do not believe you would have enough natural pectin present like is in apples or berry seeds but you can try with a small amount and see if it works but in that case the sugar content would be what would help it thicken
Thank you
I successfully made homemade pectin last year from slightly under ripe green apples. Took three attempts but I was pleased with this results. Like you, when I learned what was in store bought pectin and how it is made, I knew I needed to find a better way to make jam. Also, where did you purchase your stoneware cookie sheet?
I think I got my stoneware sheets from Pampered Chef but I am sure you can find some just as good for less money elsewhere - not a big Pampered Chef fan, I just bought from friends in the past to help support them.
Thank you so much! I'm making it right now with local blueberries. I have cut sugar use to a very minimum, except for jam. Been doing the 1 to 1 sugar and fruit, no pectin.
So I'm doing today 1500 grams blueberries to 500 grams sugar. Next time I'll be bolder! 😊
Have you made citruses with less sugar? How low you think one can go?
Citrus peels have a lot of pectin in them which is why they are used in marmalades but I have yet to make any myself. Blueberries will requires more time to cook down as I have found they do not have as much pectin as blackberries but in any case, you should still be able to go as low as you want
Trader Joe’s makes an all fruit jam with no sugar. It is made with fruit pectin, but it’s otherwise made of: cherries, red grape juice concentrate, wild blueberries, pomegranate concentrate, white grape juice concentrate, citric acid, and absorbing acid.
Happy about not having so much suger.
Just watched this video and loved it! Can I use this recipe- 2 cups fruit, 1/4 cup sugar for any fruit jam? Particularly strawberries, peaches, etc. Thanks!
The sugar content will work for any fruit but keep in mind that fruits like peaches have far less pectin and may need additional fruit like apples, berries, or citrus peels for pectin if you choose not to use a store bought pectin
@@RainCountryHomestead thank you so much! I will try this recipe tomorrow!
Thank you! Wonder if I could use brown sugar, or would that mess with the texture and/or flavor...? Thinking of adding a tiny bit of bay leaf water for some extra goodness as well. Love to experiment.
And again, you read my mind! I have fresh blackberries in my freezer and have been searching different methods on how to make a pectin free, low sugar jam! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe😊love and prayers for you both❤ PS. Will it loose the health benefits of the seeds if I remove the them after the jam is cooked?
I do not think you would lose much but I would wonder how hard it would be to remove them as it can get pretty thick.
Rain Country I watched a couple videos on how to do it. I would have too blend them up before cooking and then use my fine mesh strainer after they are done. Gary likes the seedless jams so I wanted to try😊❤
Sounds like a great plan Tee!
You should try a Butane Gas Stove. I absolutely love mine. Works just as good as a gas stove.
I should look into that, just for another option, though I have many. Mostly, I run my hot plate (seen here) in the nicer months off of solar power and in the cold and dark months I do all my cooking and much of my baking on top of my wood stove. As far as canning, I use the propane burner outside. Is that what you are referring to is for canning?
Rain Country, I'm referring to an actual Butane stove. It's compact and stores easily. The Butane canisters are very inexpensive, and last an extremely long time. You can search Butane Cook Stove, on UA-cam, and see what it is all about. 😊
O yes, I know what you are talking about, we do have one of those too but I always forget about it because Patrick keeps that out in his shop! I don't think we would ever run out of ways to cook at the rate we are going! haha
Hi ya Heidi! This is cool! I love toast an jam, and would make 2 pieces of toast with jam, but due to it being way to sweet, I wouldn’t eat anymore for along time, therefore I’d wind up having to throw it out cause it developed mold. I would like to make cranberry jam, seeing how there is not as much juice as there is n berries, would u suggest I added water in the boiling process? Ur suggestion is appreciated. Thank u
Yeah, you might want to but I recommend simply adding another fruit like raspberries to it if you like berries like that
Thank you! I thought those recipes with more sugar than fruit were a little ridiculous! I want the tartness of the berry, not pure sugar.
Right! When it gets to where you cannot even taste the flavor of the fruit, what is the point?
@@RainCountryHomestead yes!!
WHO KNEW?!? My mom would always use sealing wax on the top of all of her jellies and jams. Can you water bath can this blackberry jam? If so, what would the timing be? Also, what would the shelf life be? Thank you for all you do & freely bring that valuable info to us :-D
Love & prayers
Yes, you can water bath it and it is funny you ask because I have another video talking more about that. I know if you were to look it up, the shelf life would say 1-2 years or something short like that like it does for most canned foods. However, as long as the foods still have a good seal, they can last for many years. I am still working on meat and potatoes I canned back in 2013 and have jams, syrups and fruit butters I canned in 2014 and they are all perfectly fine. I think I did finally get through all the 2013 jams and such! haha
Thank you for the detailed answer. I know you tell us not to go on just what you say & to do our own research. However, if Heidi says it, I believe it & that settles it ;) If it works for YOU, it WILL work for ME. Besides, I hate homework. :`D LOVE YOU!!!
Prayers
Thanks
Use chia seeds and tapioca starch for thickener.
Yes, I have used chia before, it is good for some jams, not all
I'm a jelly girl, lol. But I am so glad you made this video! Thank you Heidi. I always try to cut out the nasty stuff if I can. I made cherry jelly this year and hated adding all that sugar. Never again thanks to you.
Thanks Heidi. Have you ever tried partially dehydrating the berries, add a little sugar and lemon juice. Jar up and store in the fridge?
No, I have not
Hi Rain,
Thanks for sharing. I would love to see you use watermelon and cantoulope . I'm working on changing my diet with healthier sweet treats. I'll be watching.
My compromise for healthy, while not losing the volume from cooking it down, is to use Pomona's pectin. It's not cheap, but I only need to use about a tablespoon for 10-11 cups of fruit, with 2 cups of sugar, so It works really well for me.
I have seen that pectin in the organic store in town but have not yet tried it. Thanks for sharing your method! :D
@@RainCountryHomestead I have used the Pomona's as well and liked it for the fact of less sugar, but once the jar is opened it only last about 3 weeks before getting mold. How long did your pectin-less jams last once opened.? The nasty store bought stuff has a good life of several months once opened. sigh
Yummy...can I cook my small plums in a pressure cooker with the seeds and then strain out seeds
I am sure you can
Yea ! I can do this this summer!! Do you have a video on freezing blackberries?
No I don't, sorry, but maybe I will shoot one this year, it is really nothing special and the only thing I prefer using ziplock freezer bags to over my food saver when it comes to freezing
hummm what im looking for is a lemon/orange pectin,sugar free marmalade. I know it sounds a little tart but its what im looking for lol :) was wondering if you have a vid on that. if you do thank-you big time. Or i should say no added pectin.
I don't have a video specifically on that but if you are using lemon and orange peels, there is no need for added pectin because there is plenty in the peels. One of my favorite apple butters is blueberry lemon. I do not remember if I have a recipe specifically on that one, I think the one I have is plum lemon apple butter
@@RainCountryHomestead OK! thanks I'll check it out
Use honey, no pectin no sugar, boil the jars after you fill them for 45 minutes and it will last on the shelf for 2 years. No sugar no pectin just a quarter cup of honey.
I would not add honey because I keep my honey raw. Cooking it makes it equal to can sugar so I will stick with can sugar for the jam and save the more precious honey for things in which I am going to keep it raw such as my elderberry syrup (honey added AFTER it has cooled from cooking) or my honey infused garlic, et cetera
Could you please share the link with the video that you were talking about for the acidity and sugars for jam thanks for the video. I’m going to do this right now 😊
I do not know what video link you mean. I had to go back and listen to some of this old video and I did mention another lady talking about such things but it was either comments she had made on another video (I do not recall which as it was too long ago) or it was on facebook. But I may have missed what you meant here as my computer froze up part way through listening to what I was saying here
Hi Heidi, I'm excited to try making blueberry jam with 1/2 cup cane sugar to 1 cup berries with some lemon peels. Have you tried with coconut sugar? Also do you have a video on canning these jams? Thank you God Bless :)
I have tried using coconut sugar, I find I like it best when used with apple butter but not as a full sugar replacement for berry jams
@@RainCountryHomestead Hi Heidi can I blend my fruit in the blender first before cooking to make it a smooth jam? Thank you
@@beccasbythebay That would be a great way to do it :D
Hello again. I’m really bingeing your videos so I have lots of questions. I made some jam using Pomona pectin and got a bit too much in the recipe. Needless to say I ended up with jam that tastes good but is really too jelled for toast. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might thin it and use it for ice cream or pancake topping? As always, I appreciate your patient, wise help.
I would assume you could warm it, which that alone would decrease the viscosity but if that is not enough, consider adding a little juice to it to thin it out
Heidi, I have very sweet muscadine grapes and I can't have any kind of sugar in my diet so I want to can the grape jam without sugar. Is the sugar only for taste? Would I need to add pectin? I have some really small crab apples on my tree right now that I could use if needed. What do you think? If I do it this way, can I can it for being shelf stable?
Some grapes are higher in pectin than others. I know concords are up there with other berries but I do not know about muscadines so I cannot be certain how well it will gel up for you without adding crab apple or some other high pectin fruit. No, you do not need the sugar for preserving, all fruits can safely be canned without sugar.
Bayou Town....I discovered low methoxl pectin can be used with stevia and other sugar sjbstitutes. There's also a method using chia seeds to solidify the fruit into a thick gel consistency.
If you were to can several jars, would you process them in a water bath?
Yes, I would, and good question :)
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you for taking the time to test using less sugar. I can't wait to try it and be able to actually taste the berries-- instead of the great flavor being drowned in sugar.
Gostei muito linda 👍👍👍👍👍
Do you have an updated version of this video.
Not an updated video as I always make my jams without pectin but I also change things up like I did with this salmon berry rhubarb jam: ua-cam.com/video/1sCxhpAokmU/v-deo.html