Make Delicious, Low-sugar Jams and Jellies

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4. Add the calcium solution to the pot. This should be done quickly, because prolonged boiling of the pectin weakens it. For each cup of fruit or juice, add 1 teaspoon of calcium water. Be sure the calcium powder is fully dissolved.

5. Let the jam or jelly cool. Once the calcium solution is added, stir thoroughly and remove the jam or jelly from the heat. The preserves will thicken as they cool.

At this point, you can test the jam or jelly’s thickness. Let a spoonful of the jam or jelly cool on a cold spoon or plate. If the cooled jam or jelly is too thin, add more calcium solution, 1 teaspoon at a time, and retest. If it seems too thick, add some juice, a half cup at a time and retest.

Freezing and Canning

Jams and jellies can be used right away, or they can be frozen or canned. To can, fill hot, sterile canning jars to a half inch from the top. Screw on two-piece lids and place in a boiling water bath for five minutes. Remove the jars from the water and let them cool, then check the seal. (For more on canning, read “Learn to Can for Homegrown Flavor,” August/September 2005.) To freeze jam, place it in small freezer containers or wide-mouth jelly jars, let cool and place covered jars in freezer.

Because of their high fruit content, these preserves must be refrigerated once opened or removed from the freezer, and they will keep for two to three weeks. If jam separates, stir it to mix the layers upon opening. Sometimes a small pool of moisture collects in the recesses of a partially used jar of jam. This has to do with the calcium. I either pour off the liquid or stir it into the jam.

Low-Sugar Fruit Butters

Making low-sugar fruit butters is even simpler than making low-sugar jams and jellies, although it takes more time. Fruit butters are simply puréed fruit that is cooked down to a thicker consistency. Fruits or berries can be cooked until soft, with or without the skin, then put through a sieve to remove seeds and skin. Spices or lemon juice can be added to the purée for extra flavoring. The purée then needs to be cooked down, essentially concentrated until thick. It can be cooked down on the stovetop in a nonreactive stainless steel pot, but it must be stirred constantly.

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