Jam making question

[HannaLee]

I have been making lots of jam this spring. I have recipes for various fruits, both using pectin and not. Please tell me.........in general, if you are not using pectin, do you heat every fruit to 220, then cool slightly and can? I have a couple of recipes that use that temp, but I can't find no pectin recipes for many fruits. I can't stand all the sugar that is required with regular pectin, and my Pomona's did not come in my co-op order. The low sugar pectin is expensive, and I'd like to do without it, if I can. I seem to mess up every time I try the 'sheeting' test. I haven't anyone to show me what is right. Can 220 work for me?

 

The mixture I am wanting to make today is strawberry peach. The original recipe is:

 

4 1/2 cups fruit (1 qt. strawberries, 1 1/2 lbs. peaches)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

6 cups sugar

1 box pectin

1/2 tsp butter

 

 

[Violet]

Some fruits do not have enough natural pectin to do that with. Some will need either another fruit to get a gel, some will need commercial pectin, if you don't add another fruit that is high enough in pectin. Yes, 220 degrees under those conditions with the right amount of pectin will work. The sheet test is a good indication. Also, put some on a plate, stick in the freezer for a few minutes. You should be able to draw a line in the middle with your finger and have it stay apart, not run back together.

This will help you out, you need pectin with strawberries and peaches...

 

Pectin is the natural substance found in fruit that causes the fruit juice to gel. Some kinds of fruits have enough natural pectin to gel firmly; others require added pectin. The best type of pectin is found in just-ripe fruit. Pectin from underripe or overripe fruit will not gel. Fruits containing enough natural pectin to form a gel include crab apples, tart apples, sour blackberries, sour boysenberries, most plums, cranberries, lemons, and wild grapes (Eastern Concord variety). Fruits usually low in pectin are sweet cherries, quince, ripe blackberries, sour cherries, grapefruit, grape juice, grapes, melons, and oranges. With these latter fruits, you will usually need to add pectin. Fruits always requiring added pectin are peaches, pears, figs, apricots, elderberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes (Western Concord variety), guava, and pomegranates.