Sugar or no?

[marlfox92]

Alright so here's my issue. My Mother-In-Law is really good at canning. however every recipe, or canned and frozen items she gives me are packed full of added sugar. I'm not really a sugar person, and my palate can't really handle as much as she adds. I'm fine using what she gives us but in regards to the recipes do I have to add any sugar especially to already sugary fruits. This is especially in regards to freezing, but canning as well. Thanks!

 

[Rparrny]

Alright so here's my issue. My Mother-In-Law is really good at canning. however every recipe, or canned and frozen items she gives me are packed full of added sugar. I'm not really a sugar person, and my palate can't really handle as much as she adds. I'm fine using what she gives us but in regards to the recipes do I have to add any sugar especially to already sugary fruits. This is especially in regards to freezing, but canning as well. Thanks!

The issue is that the sugar helps to create the jam or jelly consistency...and you don't even need pectin if you don't mind little more work and attention. That being said, you can make a LOWER sugar version with the Sure Gel low sugar pectin or Pomona's Pectin which I get from Amazon in larger containers.
You can use liquid sucralose but since sugar is a preservative, I would only pressure can or freeze jams make with this ingredient.

 

[GotGarlic]

Alright so here's my issue. My Mother-In-Law is really good at canning. however every recipe, or canned and frozen items she gives me are packed full of added sugar. I'm not really a sugar person, and my palate can't really handle as much as she adds. I'm fine using what she gives us but in regards to the recipes do I have to add any sugar especially to already sugary fruits. This is especially in regards to freezing, but canning as well. Thanks!

Which recipes are you referring to? Are you making canned goods yourself, or are you referring to recipes you make using her preserves?

For canned goods to be safe, you must follow tested recipes approved by the USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. As Rparrny said, sugar is a preservative and it also affects the texture of jams and jellies. There are ways to reduce it and still have safe canned goods, but you must use tested recipes. Here are a couple of references:

National Center for Home Food Preservation

Canning 101 - Food in Jars

This is the first in a new series about the science of preserving: From Jam to Jerky: Water Activity and the Science of Preservation

Welcome to Discuss Cooking

 

[marlfox92]

To clarify, I am making them myself. But I'm not making jams or jellies, just canning and freezing the fruit in whole pieces for desserts and recipes later.

 

[GotGarlic]

To clarify, I am making them myself. But I'm not making jams or jellies, just canning and freezing the fruit in whole pieces for desserts and recipes later.

For freezing, you can lay individual pieces on a sheet pan and freeze, then move them to an airtight container or freezer bag for storage. To can them in a water-bath, you need to cook them in a syrup and acidify the mixture with lemon or lime juice or citric acid. Here's the page from the NCHFP with instructions for common types of fruit: National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Fruits