Lemon juice replacer for jam?

[Piccolina]

Hi everyone,

I am wondering if it is possible to omit (entirely) the lemon juice in homemade jam and jelly recipes?

What is the purpose of the lemon juice; does it help to set the Certo better?

Does anyone have any recipes for jams that do not use lemon (or other citrus juices)?

Thank-you for any thoughts on this subject,

Happy cooking to all!

 

[Andy M.]

The lemon juice will make a real difference in the flavor of the fruit you're canning. It brings out the natural fruit flavor of the berry or fruit.

I believe it also contributes to keeping the color of the fruit, preventing it from darkening.

If you don't have lemon, another citrus product would do. You could try lime.

 

[jennyema]

Certo [tm] needs both acid and sugar to set up correctly.

Other brands of pectin (and Certo Lite or whatever it's called) need less sugar but still need acid, as far as I know.

The amount of acid depends on what fruit or vegetable you are working with.

It's always best to follow the recipe exactly, although, like Andy said, it may be possible to sub another acidic fruit juice.

 

[Haggis]

I think I have heard of people using just plain acetic acid (what is actually in the fruit...without the fruit). As to where you would get some I would not have any idea whatsoever.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I agree with andym the lemon helps pull out the flavor.Im curious why would you not want to use lemon?

 

[Michael in FtW]

Things canned in a water bath ... like jams, jellies, marmalades, preserves, etc. need a certain pH. If the pH is off ... not acidic enough ... you're creating biotoxin "bombs".

If you're using pectins .. like Certo .. it might not jell if the pH isn't right.

If you're new to canning, ESPECIALLY, follow the directions exactly!

The thought of adding lemon juice might sound a little "off" - but trust me .. there is a reason for it .. and it won't taste like lemonade - and you probably won't even taste it.

 

[Piccolina]

Hi everyone,

Yikes! I didn't realize how vital lemon juice was to jam! Thank-you for all your replies!

I have to really watch the amount of acidic foods I eat, so I think I will just hunt down jam recipes with as little lemon juice as possible, I think I'll contact Certo too and see if they have any ideas.

Interestingly in old, old cookbooks I have encountered jam recipes that do not call for lemon juice, basically they consist of fruit, sugar, and sometimes water - which are all combined and boiled down. Would this only work if you were planning to eat the jam within a couple days?

As well does it matter if it is what's termed "freezer jam"? I mean, does freezing it reduce the risk of "bio toxin bombs" as Michael wisely pointed out.

I'm not concerned about the taste, I actually love the flavour of lemon, it's just that for medical reasons (not fad diet, real medical) I follow a diet which is very low in acid.

Thanks again for your replies everyone,

Happy cooking to all

 

[crewsk]

IC, here is a link to a lot of freezer jams. It looks like the ones using Certo & Sure Jell use less lemon juice than the others. I hope this helps you out some!!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/recipes/JamsJelliesPreserves/FreezerJamsJellies/

This one does not use any lemon juice.

CERTO® Cinnamon Apple Freezer Jelly

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 24 hr 20 min
Makes: about 4 (1-cup) containers or 64 servings, 1 Tbsp. each

1-3/4 cups bottled apple juice

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3-3/4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1 pouch CERTO Fruit Pectin

RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

MEASURE apple juice and cinnamon into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

ADD pectin; stir 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jelly is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

 

[Ishbel]

This appears to be an American site ('cups' instead of metric or imperial measurements!) - and the first few recipes do not appear to use added lemon juice.

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3200.htm

 

[crewsk]

Ishbel, that site is from the college just a few miles from my house!

 

[Ishbel]

WOW - what a coincidence!

All I did was a websearch with 'jam recipes - no lemon juice... I think it was the second hit!!

 

[crewsk]

That's cool!! The college(Clemson University)has a great agricultural department. They also have on on campus dairy that has wonderful cheese, ice cream & other dairy products. I need to take the kids to their store & get banana splits this summer. My parents used to take me all the time but I haven't gone in several years. They have really good bleu cheese too.

 

[Ishbel]

Sounds like my sort of place!

 

[lindatooo]

I don't think the acid in freezer jams is meant to prevent "biotoxin bombs" (what a wonderful term!) but you may end up with freezer syrup instead!

 

[jennyema]

Certo will not work without acid. Sometimes the fruit or vegetable you are working with will have enough acid. Sometimes you need to add additional acid.

Whether you need to add additional acid is dependent on what fruit or vegetable you are using.

Kraft has a great link explaining the science of Certo

http://www.kraftcanada.com/controller?cmd=ARTICLE_VIEW&lang=EN&aid=64992&sid=65157&ctx=4000

 

[Michael in FtW]

Okay IC - I'll try again. Sometimes the lemon juice is used to raise the pH in canned foods. Sometimes it's used to aid jelling when using a pectin substitute like Certo. Sometimes it's used as an anti-browning agent (to retard enzymatic browning of fruits).

As someone noted - most fruits are acidic to one degree or another. And, even sugar is acidic.

Freezer jams don't need to be as acidic as canned jams.

So - what are you trying to make? If we know that I bet the gang on here can help find a solution for you.

 

[Piccolina]

Hi everyone,

You responses are great, and very helpful-I totally appreciate it!

My question was “in general” I’m not trying make anything at the moment, but when fruit season rolls around I may whip up some pear jam and some blueberry jam.

Thanks Michael, I understood what you meant the first time around, but your second post made it even clearer. As did the link for Kraft (thanks crewsk).

Yes (cue eye rolling and unavoidable smile) I am well aware that all fruits are acidic to some degree, the majority of foods have some level of acid in them. I just aim to keep my diet as low in acid as possible (luckily there are few foods that have higher cid contents, which don’t seem to bother me).

You guys are really all so helpful, thanks a million for all the responses and tips!

Happy Cooking to all!