I wonder if you ever use Pomona Pectin to make jams/jellies. I've used it for over 25 years and it is wonderful for low or no sugar jams/jellies or when the sweetener is alternative such as stevia, maple syrup, honey or agave. It is - as the name implies - apple based. there are recipes included in the packet that give you the ratios/proportions needed to make a very wide range of jams/jellies.
For the first 10 or so years of my home canning life, I used nothing but Pomona's Pectin. I loved it, and I am a huge fan of low sugar jams and jellies. The problem is, more often than not it'd set my jellies very hard, so you could cut them with a knife, and they spread like jello. I was ok with that, and thought it a good compromise for being able to make low sugar preserves. My kids though, they weren't a fan of the texture.
Then one year I couldn't get a hold of it and I tried out Sure-Jel low sugar (pink box). You can also make low sugar (or no sugar) jelly with it, but the texture is magic. It's like the texture you get when you make a high sugar natural jelly without added pectin, so luscious, spreadable and with a beautiful gloss that stands up on a spoon. All with the same low sugar recipe you'd use with Pomona's.
I still make low sugar jams for my family as our norm, but I haven't gone back to Pomonas. Sure Jel low sugar is my go to, and now I don't have to fuss around with the calcium water!
Ashley, you have so inspired me to move forward with my canning! 🤩 I just ordered the All American Canner. My first thing to can will be preserves from the strawberries coming up in my garden. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us! 💙💙💙
My favorite thing to can is apple sauce, especially since I splurged (Black Friday) and got the KitchenAid fruit and vegetable strainer attachment a couple of years ago. Practically makes itself, and it's the most consistently eaten canned item I make.
Thanks for your wonderful posts! I am new to pressure canning and recently returned to water-bath canning after decades of being away from it. You are helping me gain confidence and winnow out the wheat from the chaff on this subject.
Hi Ashley,
I wonder if you ever use Pomona Pectin to make jams/jellies. I've used it for over 25 years and it is wonderful for low or no sugar jams/jellies or when the sweetener is alternative such as stevia, maple syrup, honey or agave. It is - as the name implies - apple based. there are recipes included in the packet that give you the ratios/proportions needed to make a very wide range of jams/jellies.
For the first 10 or so years of my home canning life, I used nothing but Pomona's Pectin. I loved it, and I am a huge fan of low sugar jams and jellies. The problem is, more often than not it'd set my jellies very hard, so you could cut them with a knife, and they spread like jello. I was ok with that, and thought it a good compromise for being able to make low sugar preserves. My kids though, they weren't a fan of the texture.
Then one year I couldn't get a hold of it and I tried out Sure-Jel low sugar (pink box). You can also make low sugar (or no sugar) jelly with it, but the texture is magic. It's like the texture you get when you make a high sugar natural jelly without added pectin, so luscious, spreadable and with a beautiful gloss that stands up on a spoon. All with the same low sugar recipe you'd use with Pomona's.
I still make low sugar jams for my family as our norm, but I haven't gone back to Pomonas. Sure Jel low sugar is my go to, and now I don't have to fuss around with the calcium water!
Thanks for this response. I sometime also cannot get Pomona and was unaware that Sure Jel had a low sugar option. :)
Love your suggestions to get busy with canning. Am so inspired!
Wonderful!
Ashley, you have so inspired me to move forward with my canning! 🤩 I just ordered the All American Canner. My first thing to can will be preserves from the strawberries coming up in my garden. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us! 💙💙💙
My favorite thing to can is apple sauce, especially since I splurged (Black Friday) and got the KitchenAid fruit and vegetable strainer attachment a couple of years ago. Practically makes itself, and it's the most consistently eaten canned item I make.
Thanks for your wonderful posts! I am new to pressure canning and recently returned to water-bath canning after decades of being away from it. You are helping me gain confidence and winnow out the wheat from the chaff on this subject.