Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi All,
I'm new to all this GYO and have just made Blackberry and Damson jams. All very exciting and both really tasty, only trouble is it got me to thinking (never a good idea ). One of the reasons I started all this was to help with a healthy diet and I previously rarely ate jams. So it struck me that I was going backward somewhat to start eating something with so much sugar in it.

Basically my questions are:-
Is the sugar to help the jam set or is it the preservative?
Is it possible to make jam with no added sugar? and if you do will it keep?

Any thought would be appreciated.
Caroline

Can't really answer your questions but as you can buy jam suitable for diabetics, there must be an alternative to sugar. Whether it contains less calories I couldn't say.

I was about to start searching for recipes to make diabetic friendly jellies as my dad has diabetes and I wanted to make some apple and bramble jelly that we could all enjoy. Maybe your question will result in recipes that I can make use of too. Thanks for the question, I am sure the repsonses will be interesting to read.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

You can certainly make reduced sugar jams, I'm sure there are some recipes in my book downstairs, I shall try to dig it out later.

The setting part of jam is from the pectin in the fruit, the sugar is the preservative so my understanding is that reduced sugar jams don't store quite as well.

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http://www.cowlane.org.uk

Thanks 25cowlane that is what I had thought - but now you can buy preserves with no added sugar I was wondering what they did to stop it going off, and if I could do it too!

There is something called a fruit butter - not much fat and very little sugar - I'll have a dig through my books and see if I can find it. The onlt thing I remember is that it should be made in small amounts and kept in the fridge as it contains so few preservatives.......

Pectin sets the jam, but sugar preserves it so beware of home jam making with low sugar unless you're going to eat it quickly. Commercial jams with low sugar have another sweetener (prob. aspartame so I'd not want too much of that) and then a preservative added. I prefer to stick to home made real jam and not have it every day. Quality rather than quantity!

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Each day is a gift. That's why it's called The Present.

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated Aug 20th 2008

I'm with you on that too - at least you know where you stand when the only ingredients are fruit and sugar! I have tried to reduce the sugar a bit (I don't have a sweet tooth) but it's only worth making in small batches as it doesn't keep the same and needs to be kept in the fridge even before opening - well that's what I found anyway.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Weight watchers recommend a sugar free jam but it only lasts two weeks and has to be kept in the fridge.

You get a bag of frozen fruit and bring them to the boil slowly - you can add a little water if you think the fruit needs it. When it comes to the boil sprinkle sugar free jelly crystals over and stir really well.

That is it ...... simple........apparently its really nice.

Sugar is a preservative, so is vinegar, hence the many recipes for jams, chutneys and pickles. This was a very good way of preserving surplus fruit and veg before the days of freezers. I know home made jam has a high proportion of sugar, but it is natural and you don't have to eat loads of it. I am a firm believer in "a little of what you fancy does you good" and would go for natural products every time, rather than artificial sweeteners and preservatives.

Shirley
Marguerite Patten's book The Basic Basics, James, Preserves and Chutneys from Grub Street, £7.99 has a chapter on diabetic preserves she also goes into how you can cut down the sugar as long as it's in small batches and kept in the fridge, she also recommends freezing it (not in jars) or sterilising (in jars). She quotes as an example by preserving in the freezer or sterilising you could cut sugar down by half which would mean you could use any recipe to make jam with reduced sugar.
I do enjoy making jams, it's very satisfying but also aware of the sugar thing. I now make it in small batches and give a lot of it away as gifts, but occasionally I will eat some as well!
Sue

Thanks for that Sue, I'll try to get the book as freezing or sterilising may be the way to go.

The other linked question is does anyone out there know if somewhere there is a list of the rough amounts of fructose there is in each type of fruit and if by adding those fruits the amount of processed sugar can be cut?

Thanks Sue. Will have a look for that in second hand bookshops (we are unemployed at the mo so no cash for new books).

Also interested in the fruit butters mentioned earlier.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

The book Sue mentions is the one I have, what with having some internet issues yesterday I clean forgot to come back and follow up on my post.

As for the fructose question, I don't remember having seen a list (doesnt mean I havent though!). As the fructose levels will differ depending upon ripeness you may only find a list of comparative levels, an intersting thought though.

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http://www.cowlane.org.uk

I don't suppose that the sugar in honey can be used as a preservative can it?

Caroline
Back to MP and she says can use honey but best to stick to a 75% sugar, 25% honey ratio and the resulting jam will be runnier than usual.
I have got a honey cookbook and there's not one preserve recipe in that.

You can make a very good honey with pears - although that's sugar again, but it is out of this world, get it right and it's just like runny honey with the most delicate fragrance and taste of pears. I just need someone to give me the leftovers from their pear tree and I'll be whipping out the preserving pan as quick as you like.

I make apple butters and cheeses out of apple cores and peel, if, every time you cook apples you save the peel and cores in the freezers you soon accumulate a large bag full, boil them up as usual and strain and put through a sieve, you get a surprising amount of puree from them. If I make jellies, I'd also freeze the left over pulp and again use this to make a butter or cheese.
If you made fruit puree instead of jam - if you wanted it as a base for other fruit for pies, cake fillings or to eat with yoghurt then you could be more sparing with the sugar or indeed use honey. I find if you cook the fruit with a little orange juice and some spice and with a knob of butter, you need very little sugar. If I'm cooking gooseberries I add elderflower cordial, that again cuts down on suguar. All fruit purees freezes very well.
best wishes
Sue

Sue,
What a great idea. I would never have thought to keep the leftovers from apples to make puree. I use quite a few apples in recipes and always "feed" the cores and skins to the compost, never thought to keep them in this way. Many thanks for the tip.
Clare

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Hello Caroline, I think it has all been said, but briefly
Yes it is possible to make jam without sugar BUT they taste awful, don't store well and are preserved with some kind of preservatives.
I would go with sugar as the lesser of the evils and go for a rare treat.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

bit of home made jam on toast? why not ....!
i'm making plum jam tomorrow - not too worried about sugar content, even though i'm trying to be good and not scoff too many nice things! it's only a little bit of jam each time ....

Pear honey, MMmmmmmmm. Recipe please. Sounds to good to miss.

This was a problem that faced many jam makers during the Second World War. Fruit could be found in gardens and the hedgerows of the UK but sugar was on the ration books. No one ever had success with out the sugar.

Hi shirl, priceless tip given to me by 2 sheds was to check out my local council’s online library resource. you can search through all the books that your library holds across the city and if there is a book that you would like to read then you can reserve it online and they will even deliver it to your local library for collection free of charge AND notify you when it is there I was like a child in a sweety shop first time I used the service and reserved loads, the service is very efficient and I ended up with 15 books awaiting collection within a week
i am not a big fan of jams so didn't want to waste money on a book that i would rarely use so borowed a WI jam pickles and chutneys book and coppied down a rcouple of recipies.

Interesting this thread.

A lot of the expensive artisan jams you buy here are not set. My fav jam lady - aka Crystal Tips - makes wonderful jam and very little of it is set. She just makes it with fruit and sugar with minimal pectin.

I've bought a couple of good and really inexpensive French jam making books and most of them are soft set recipes, except the agrume (citrus fruit) marmalades and jams of course.

Todays foray into jam making is plums from one chum's garden with walnuts from another, all organic and using unrefined sugar. P&W jam is really good and as it's soft set, goes well with morning yoghurt.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

Thanks everyone for all the input. I guess it will have to be just a little bit of jam, though I will try reducing the sugar a bit!