jams, jellies and fruit spreads

8/4/2019 Jams, Jellies and Fruit Spreads

1/5Copyright 2009, The Ohio State University

Family and Consumer Sciences

HYG-5350

Jams, Jellies, andOther Fruit Spreads

Jams, jellies, preserves, conserves, marmalades, andbutters are all gelled or thickened ruit products.Most are cooked and preserved with sugar. Teirindividual characteristics depend on the kind o ruitused and the way it is prepared, the ingredients andtheir proportions in the mixture, and the method opreparation.

Jams are thick, sweet spreads made by cookingcrushed or chopped ruits with sugar. Jams tend to holdtheir shape but are generally less rm than jelly.

Jellies are usually made by cooking ruit juice with

sugar. A good product is clear and rm enough tohold its shape when turned out o the container, yetquivers when moved.

Preservesare spreads containing small, whole ruitor uniorm-size pieces in a clear, slightly gelled syrup.Te ruit should be tender and plump.

Conserves are jam-like products that may be maderom a mixture o ruits. Tey may also contain nuts,raisins, or coconut.

Marmalades are so ruit jellies containing smallpieces o ruit or peel. Tey oen contain citrusruit.

Fruit butters are sweet spreads made by cookingruit pulp with sugar to a thick consistency. Spicesare oen added. Butters are not gelled.

Essential IngredientsFor successul jams, jellies, and other ruit prod-

ucts, a proper ratio o ruit, pectin, acid, and sugaris needed.

Fruit or JuiceFor best color, avor, and consistency, choose riperuit (shape is irrelevant). Unsweetened, canned, orrozen ruit or ruit juice can also be used. I youpreserve your own ruit or ruit juice, use slightlyunderripe ruit (usually 1/4 slightly underripe and 3/4ully ripe is recommended.) Fruit is best i canned inits own juice. I adding sugar, note on each jar howmuch sugar it contains. Tis will be needed to adjustrecipes later.

o extract juice or jelly, ollow these directions:

Place ruit into a at-bottomed saucepan andadd cold water. For apples and other hardruits, add up to 1 cup per pound o ruit. Forberries and grapes, use only enough water toprevent scorching. Crush so ruits to startthe ow o juice.

Bring to a boil on high heat. Stir to preventscorching.

Reduce heat.

Grapes and berries need 10 minutes or less to

cook until so. Apples and other hard ruitsmay need 20 to 25 minutes, depending onthe rmness o the ruit. Do not overcook;excess boiling will destroy the pectin, avor,and color.

Pour everything into a damp jelly bag andsuspend the bag to drain the juice. Te clearestjelly comes rom juice that has dripped througha jelly bag without pressing or squeezing.


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Jams, Jellies, and Other Fruit Spreadspage 2

I a ruit press is used to extract the juice,the juice should be restrained through a jellybag.

NOTE: Juicy berries may be crushed and the juiceextracted without heating.

Pectin

Pectin is the natural substance ound in ruit thatcauses the ruit juice to gel. Some kinds o ruits haveenough natural pectin to gel rmly; others requireadded pectin. Te best type o pectin is ound in just-ripe ruit. Pectin rom underripe or overriperuit will not gel.

Reer to the chart below or pectin and acid contento common ruits.

Group I: I not overripe, has enough naturalpectin and acid or gel ormation withonly added sugar.

Group II: Low in natural acid or pectin, and mayneed addition o either acid or pectin.

Group III: Always needs added acid, pectin, orboth.

Group I Group II Group III

Apples, sour

Blackberries,sour

Crabapples

Cranberries

Currants

Gooseberries

Grapes

(EasternConcord)

Lemons

Loganberries

Plums (notItalian)

Quinces

Apples, ripe

Blackberries,ripe

Cherries, sour

Chokecherries

Elderberries

Graperuit

Grape Juice,

bottled(EasternConcord)

Grapes(Caliornia)

Loquats

Oranges

Apricots

Blueberries

Figs

Grapes(WesternConcord)

Guavas

Peaches

PearsPlums (Italian)

Raspberries

Strawberries

Commercial pectins are made rom apples or citrusruit and are available in both powdered and liquidorms. Be sure to ollow the manuacturers directionswhen using commercial pectin. Te powdered andliquid orms are not interchangeable in recipes.

Commercial pectins may be used with any ruit.Te additional sugar required when using commercialpectin may mask the natural ruit avor.

Tere are special pectins available to make jelliedproducts with no added sugar or with less sugar thanregular recipes. Recipes will be ound on the packageinserts and directions should be ollowed careully.

Commercial ruit pectin should be stored in acool, dry place and used by the date indicated on itspackage. Do not hold commercial ruit pectin overrom one year to the next.

Acid

When a recipe calls or added acid (lemon juiceor citric acid), it is needed or successul gel orma-tion.

SugarSugar must be present in the proper proportions

with pectin and acid to make a good gel. Sugar alsoprevents the growth o microorganisms in the productand contributes to the taste. Never change the amount

o sugar in a recipe.Granulated white sugar is usually used in home-

made ruit products. Sweeteners such as brown sugar,sorghum, and molasses are not recommended becausetheir avors overpower the ruit and sweetness mayvary. Extra ne sugar or sugar blends with dextrose,ructose, or other sweetener added should not be used.You can replace part but not all o the sugar with lightcorn syrup or light, mild honey. For best results, usetested recipes that speciy honey or corn syrup.

Articial sweeteners cannot be substituted or sugar

in regular recipes because sugar is needed or gel or-mation. Jellied ruit products without added sugarmust be made using special recipes or special jellingproducts.

Equipment and ContainersAn 8- or 10-quart saucepan is best or jelly making

because it allows even heat distribution and volumecontrol.


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A jelly bag or suitable cloth is needed when ex-tracting juice or jelly. Firm unbleached muslin orcotton annel with the napped side turned in orour thicknesses o closely woven cheesecloth maybe used. Jelly bags or cloths should be damp when

extracting juice.A jelly, candy, or deep-at thermometer should beused to determine doneness in jellied ruit productswithout added pectin.

A boiling water bath canner is necessary or process-ing all unrerigerated or unrozen ruit spreads.

General Directions

Amount to Prepareo enjoy jams, jellies, and other ruit products at

their best, make only a quantity that you can use withina year. Jellies lose avor and color during storage. Forbest results, make only one recipe at a time, using nomore than 6 to 8 cups juice. Double batches do notalways gel properly.

Preparing the ContainersPrepare the canning jars beore you start to make the

ruit product. Hal-pint jars work best, unless a recipespecies another size. Using larger jars can result in aweak gel. Pint jars should be the largest used.

Wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse,or wash in dishwasher. Sterilize the jars by boilingthem or 10 minutes. Keep the jars in the hot wateruntil they are used to prevent the jars rom breakingwhen lled with the hot product. I you are at analtitude o 1,000 eet or more, add one minute to thesterilizing time.

Wash and rinse all canning lids and bands. Preparethe lids as directed by the manuacturer.

Sealing the Containers and Processing

All jams, jellies, and other ruit spreads must beprocessed in a boiling water bath to prevent moldgrowth.Parafn is no longer recommended as a methodor sealing jams and jellies. Air can seep in around theedges and cause spoilage and mold. o process jamsand jellies in a boiling water bath, pour the boilingproduct into a hot, sterilized canning jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim thoroughly with awet paper towel or cloth and close with a prepared

canning lid and screw band. Place on a rack in acanner lled with boiling water. Te water shouldcover the jars by at least 1 inch. Cover the canner.Bring the water back to a boil and boil gently or 5minutes. Remove the jars to a protected surace and

cool upright away rom dras.Altitude adjustmentTe processing times givenor most ruit products are or processing at altitudeso 01,000 eet. Add 1 minute to the processing timeor each additional 1,000 eet o altitude.

Storage

Do not move products, especially jellies, or atleast 12 hours. Moving them could break the gel.Aer the products have cooled or 12 hours, checkthe seal, remove the screw band, wash the outsides o

jars, label, and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Placeany unsealed jars in the rerigerator . Uncooked jamsmust be stored in the rerigerator (up to 4 weeks) orreezer (up to 1 year).

Making Jams and JelliesTere are basically two types o jams and jellies:

those made with added pectin and those without. Teuse o commercial pectin simplies the procedure andyields more jelly per volume o juice or ruit. Jams andjellies can be made more quickly using added pectin,

and their doneness is easier to determine. Follow thedirections included with the commercial pectin.

I making jam or jelly without added pectin, usethe ollowing steps. Measure juice or ruit and sugar.I not ollowing a recipe, allow 3/4 cup sugar or eachcup o juice or ruit. I unsure o the pectin or acidcontent, test beore beginning.

o test or pectin, measure 1/3 cup ruit or juiceand 1/4 cup sugar into a small saucepan. Heat slowly,stirring constantly until all the sugar is dissolved.Bring to a boil rapidly until mixture sheets rom aspoon. Pour into a clean, hot glass or bowl and cool.I cooled mixture is jelly-like, your product will gel.I mixture is not jelly-like your ruit juice does nothave enough natural pectin to make a good product.Follow directions or jams or jellies using commercialpectin. o test or acidity, combine 1 teaspoon lemonjuice, 3 ablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.Compare the avor by tasting this mixture and a taste


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o your ruit. I ruit isnt as tart, add 1 ablespoonlemon juice to each cup o ruit (juice).

Heat ruit or juice to boiling. Add sugar and stir1.until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until tempera-ture is 220 degrees F (or 8 degrees F above the

boiling point o water). Mixture should sheetrom a metal spoon or a spoonul placed on aplate in the reezer o the rerigerator shouldgel in a ew minutes.Remove jam or jelly rom heat. Skim of2.oam.Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch3.headspace.Wipe rims, add lids and rings, and process in4.a boiling water bath or 5 minutes.

Jellied Products without Added SugarJellied products without sugar or with reduced sugar

cannot be made by omitting the sugar in regular jellyrecipes. However, they can be made by the ollowingmethods:

Special modifed pectins1. Tese pectins arenot the same as regular pectin. Tey will saylight, less sugar, or no sugar on the label.Follow the directions on the package. Someproducts are made with less sugar and somewith articial sweeteners.

Regular pectin with special recipes2. Tesespecial recipes have been ormulated so thatno added sugar is needed. However, each pack-age o regular pectin does contain some sugar.Articial sweetener is oen added.

Recipes using gelatin3. Some recipes use un-avored gelatin as the thickener or the jam orjelly. Articial sweetener is oen added.

Long-boil methods4. Boiling ruit pulp orextended periods o time will cause a product

to thicken and resemble a jam, preserve, or ruitbutter. Articial sweetener may be added.

Follow the directions on the modied pectin pack-age or in a no-sugar recipe exactly. Alterations in therecipe could result in product ailures. Because theseproducts do not use sugar as a preservative, be sureto process or store them as directed. Some requirelonger processing in a boiling water bath and somerequire rerigeration.

Remaking Cooked Jam or JellyMeasure jam or jelly to be recooked. Work with

no more than 4 to 6 cups at a time.

With Powdered Pectin

For each quart o jelly, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2cup water, 2 ablespoons bottled lemon juice, and4 teaspoons powdered pectin. Bring to a boil whilestirring. Add jelly and bring to a rolling boil overhigh heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard 1/2 minute.Remove rom heat, quickly skim oam of jelly, andll sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjustnew lids and process.

With Liquid PectinFor each quart o jelly, measure 3/4 cup sugar, 2

ablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 2 ablespoonsliquid pectin. Bring jelly to boil over high heat whilestirring. Remove rom heat and quickly add the sugar,lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a ull rolling boil,stirring constantly. Boil hard or 1 minute. Quicklyskim oam of jelly and ll sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inchheadspace. Adjust new lids and process.

Without Added PectinFor each quart o jelly, add 2 ablespoons bottled

lemon juice. Heat to boiling and boil or 3 to 4 min-utes. (Reer back to making jam or jelly without addedpectin.) Remove rom heat, quickly skim oam ofjelly and ll sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.Adjust new lids and process.

Recipes

Pepper Jelly

Hot peppers have become a popular garden item. Tisjelly is a sae and delicious way to preserve themitsexcellent with cream cheese and crackers. However, takecaution and wear rubber gloves when handling hot pep-

pers. Sweet peppers may be substituted or hot peppers,i desired.

Yields 5 hal-pint jars

4 or 5 hot peppers, cored and cut in pieces4 sweet green peppers, cored and cut in pieces1 cup white vinegar5 cups sugar1 pouch (1/2 bottle) liquid pectinGreen ood coloring


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Sterilize canning jars. Put hal the peppers and hal thevinegar into blender container; cover and process atliquiy until pepper is liquied. Repeat with remainingpeppers and vinegar. Combine liquied peppers, sugar,and vinegar in a large saucepot and boil slowly or 10minutes. Remove rom heat. Add liquid pectin and boil

hard 1 minute. Skim and add a ew drops o green oodcoloring. Pour jelly immediately into hot canning jars,leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjustlids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Pear-Apple Jam

Yields 7 or 8 hal-pint jars2 cups peeled, cored and nely chopped pears

(about 2 pounds)1 cup peeled, cored, and nely chopped apples1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 cups sugar1/3 cup bottled lemon juice1 pouch liquid pectin

Sterilize canning jars. Crush apples and pears in a largesaucepan. Stir in cinnamon. Toroughly mix sugar andlemon juice with ruits and bring to a boil over highheat, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in pectin.Bring to a ull rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stir-ring constantly. Remove rom heat; quickly skim ofoam. Pour jam immediately into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5minutes in a boiling water bath.

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TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868

Visit Ohio State University Extensions web site Ohioline at: http://ohioline.osu.edu

ReferencesNational Center or Home Food Preservation. (2006).

University o Georgia. Retrieved August 11, 2008,rom http://www.uga.edu/nchp/how/can7_jam_jelly.html


Revised by LuAnn Duncan and Beth Gaydos, Extension Educators, 2008.

Information compiled by Sharron Coplin, Extension Associate, Food and Nutrition.

Revised by Pat Shenberger, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ashland County.

Reviewed by Lydia Medeiros, Ph.D., R.D., Extension Specialist, Ohio State University Extension.

jams, jellies and fruit spreads

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