blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 7,430
For the past 4 years I just don't use pectin in my jams. I cook the fruit down like a puree, but reduced in volume so it thickens up, then just sweeten it if it needs it.
I'm amazed how much the stores charge for pectin and that it costs more to make sugar free or low sugar than it does for high sugar jam making.
Anyways, it looks like we might have a bumper crop of apples, so I made some pectin today. I'm planning on a big batch of raspberry puree/jam and will want it a little thicker than my usual. This will be our first raspberry puree/jam from our own raspberry trellises.
Pectin: I cooked quartered green apples (core and peel), 3-4 lbs, in a thick bottomed kettle with a few quarts of water for 2.5 hours. Then strained it with cheese cloth in a sieve into a bowl. Then cooked the liquid down 1/3. I ended it up with 1 qt and 1/2 cup of amber colored pectin.
There are recipes for making it all over the net from green apples or citrus pith. There is a test of 1 t cooled pectin plus 1 T rubbing alcohol, to test it for thickening. After it sits a few minutes it should form a thickened blob you can lift out with a fork. Then discard. (I tested mine and it worked.)
The recipes out there say 1/4 cup pectin for each 1 cup of liquid/chunk fruit. The liquid pectin can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or it can be frozen. I'm planning on making about 3 qts of puree/jam (once it cooks down) and I plan to add 3 cups liquid pectin to it. I have no idea how it will work but I'll let you know.
Even if it doesn't work perfectly, I'll keep trying it, since my apples aren't costing me anything.
It is a good way to save money, if you are making apple sauce or squeezing out apple cider, the pulp seeds and peels could be used for making pectin. (or make vinegar)
I'm amazed how much the stores charge for pectin and that it costs more to make sugar free or low sugar than it does for high sugar jam making.
Anyways, it looks like we might have a bumper crop of apples, so I made some pectin today. I'm planning on a big batch of raspberry puree/jam and will want it a little thicker than my usual. This will be our first raspberry puree/jam from our own raspberry trellises.
Pectin: I cooked quartered green apples (core and peel), 3-4 lbs, in a thick bottomed kettle with a few quarts of water for 2.5 hours. Then strained it with cheese cloth in a sieve into a bowl. Then cooked the liquid down 1/3. I ended it up with 1 qt and 1/2 cup of amber colored pectin.
There are recipes for making it all over the net from green apples or citrus pith. There is a test of 1 t cooled pectin plus 1 T rubbing alcohol, to test it for thickening. After it sits a few minutes it should form a thickened blob you can lift out with a fork. Then discard. (I tested mine and it worked.)
The recipes out there say 1/4 cup pectin for each 1 cup of liquid/chunk fruit. The liquid pectin can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or it can be frozen. I'm planning on making about 3 qts of puree/jam (once it cooks down) and I plan to add 3 cups liquid pectin to it. I have no idea how it will work but I'll let you know.
Even if it doesn't work perfectly, I'll keep trying it, since my apples aren't costing me anything.
It is a good way to save money, if you are making apple sauce or squeezing out apple cider, the pulp seeds and peels could be used for making pectin. (or make vinegar)