canning question about pectin..

[Gonzo]

What is the difference between jams made with & without pectin? Which is the better recipe? Or does better?

 

[ChickenToes]

An old-fashioned recipe for preserves usually does not include pectin...but it has enough sugar to kill a person. And then you have to cook and cook and cook the jam until it thickens, and by that time it tastes like syrup, the flavor of the fruit is lost.

You can use certain types of apples instead of pectin. I've been meaning to try it, but it's not berry season here yet, so I don't have personal experience with it. It's supposed to work quite well.

I've always made jam with pectin, and so far it's always turned out well, I haven't had a bad batch. I like to use the sugar-free pectin, because you can add sugar to taste and the jam will still set. Most regular pectins call for too much sugar for my taste, even the reduced sugar pectins call for 4 cups of sugar per batch.

 

[Gonzo]

Quote:
Thank You So Much!

 

[AHappychick]

I dont use pectin instead I use the natural pectin that is in the skin by adding a little peach or necterine, or plum skin ground up in with the jam (while boiling down). It set niicely like that and I dont feel like I have had to add anything extra

I like plum skin the best as it adds a tange