I made 20 cups of fresh strawberry jam last night. I used one flat of strawberries (well more or less by the time we got done eating some) from our local farmer's market. One of the great discoveries I made when I began my journey to eat healthier was this no-cook freezer jam recipe made with Pomona's Universal Pectin. I love this stuff! It is a low methoxyl pectin extracted from citrus peel. Its jelling power is activated by calcium, not by sugar content. Instead of sugar, I use raw honey. My hubby doesn't like honey, but he's never complained about my jam. For some reason the honey flavor isn't overpowering in this recipe. I have no guilt whatsoever when I feed this jam to my kids. Since it is entirely raw, the enzymes are still intact which aid in digestion. Not to mention it has more vitamins and minerals in it since I'm not cooking them out of the fruit. You can use whatever fruit you want. If this recipe doesn't give you thick enough results, just add a little more pectin or calcium water until you are happy with it. I get my Pomona's Pectin in bulk from Azure Standard. I know you can buy it on-line, too. Just make sure you have plenty before you start.No-Cook (Raw) Freezer Jam Recipe:
Wash, hull, pit fruit as applicable. If possible, leave skins on then mash or grind at room temperature. You may need to use a food processor or blender for this task depending on hardness of fruit.
Ingredients:
4 cups mashed fruit
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (optional)
1 cup honey (more or less depending on how sweet you like it)
Mix all these ingredients together.
Boil some water and measure out 3/4 cup into food processor or blender.
Immediately add 4 tsp of pectin powder. Blend for 1 minute. Pour into mashed fruit. Make sure fruit is at room temperature before doing this step! Mix well.
Prepare calcium water:
1/2 tsp calcium powder mixed with 1/2 cup cold water. Mix well then add to 4 to 12 tsp to jam. (I just add a little at a time until I get the right consistency.)
Pour into clean glass containers. Fill, leaving head space. Put lids on and freeze.
10 comments:
I wish I had room in my freezer for jam, but, alas, I don't. I simply freeze fruit and we mash it up as needed for waffles. Without children, jam is not essential anymore. Jay doesn't eat it at all, so I buy myself 4 cups of black cap and 4 of huckleberry so I can have it. Pretty clever, huh?
OOOOH YUMMMM! Strawberry jam! I love it. But I would not try to make it. Just eat it! LOL :)
I have never seena recipe like this. We make it, but not like this. I will have to rememeber this next time I make it!
Stephanie
Ladies, it's good! I love how bright red it is when you don't cook it.
This is very interesting. We are try to use honey and not much sugar. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I noticed we share some interest. I just started cheese making this year and am really into the re-enactments.
That is good, Catherine. I'm glad you are still indulging in a little jam even though Jay isn't into it.
If I knew where to buy some of this stuff I might just try it. It looks really good.
Ruth,
You can find Pomona's Pectin at any health food store, also on-line. The calcium comes with it, so you don't have to purchase it separately. It really is the easiest jam in the world to make. The most time consuming part is preparing the fruit (hulling, pitting, etc). Turning it into jam only takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
Becky,
Sorry I didn't get back to you promptly. Busy weekend :) I haven't had any problems. Just make sure you have the jam pretty thick before it goes into the freezer. Good luck!
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