Can I make strawberry jam without using any sugars?!
Can I make strawberry jam without using any sugars?
MY STRAWBERRIES ARE SWEET ENOUGH. i DO NOT WANT TO USE ANYTHING UNATURAL, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER FOR THE JAM TO THICKEN I MUST USE SUGAR AND PECTIN OR SURE JEL. ANYONE EVER USE HONEY?
Answers:
I don't think that honey would work well with strawberry jam. Possibly it might work well with another type of fruit. Since your strawberries are pretty sweet, just reduce the amount of sugar you are putting in it by half.
I found several recipes using honey instead of sugar. I am not sure how well it works but here it goes:
Easy Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
4 cups Strawberries
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
1 package Powdered fruit pectin
1 1/2 cups Honey
Preparation
1. Mix the strawberries, lemon juice and pectin in a heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel pot.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the honey.
3. Return to a boil and stir slowly for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture will resemble a thick syrup when done. Let cool, then pour into a storage container, cover and refrigerate.
Cook's Notes
Makes 2 pints Serving 1 T.
I would think honey could work, but honey is even sweeter than sugar. You'd have to find a very mild flavored honey so as not to ruin the flavor of your nice strawberries. But do keep in mind, if you're concerned about it being all natural... sugar IS natural. It's made from sugarcane. So using sugar wouldn't interfere with your goal of keeping it natural. Pectin is also natural... derived from a plant. I'm not familiar with "sure-gel".
Honey is just as sweet as sugar. Why not try Splenda. Go on to their website. They have all types of recipes for that sort of thing.
My cousin never uses pectin to thicken her jam, she just boils it until its the consistency she wants. She likes it runny rather than thick. She is diabetic, so she sweetens with Splenda then stores it in the freeezer. I gather that the sugar acts as the preservative, so if you store it in the freezer you should be Ok.
http://www.digitaldugan.com/dollarbargai...
Sugar helps gel formation, serves as a preserving agent, contributes to the flavor of the jellied product, and has a firming effect on fruit. Beet and cane sugar can be used with equal success.
Corn syrup and honey may be used to replace part of the sugar in recipes, but too much will mask the fruit flavor and alter the gel structure. Use tested recipes for replacing sugar with honey and corn syrup. Do not try to reduce the amount of sugar in traditional recipes. Too little sugar prevents gelling and may allow yeasts and molds to grow.
Low-calorie and low-sugar recipes may call for non-nutritive sweeteners, such as saccharin or aspartame. However, jellied products made with nonnutritive sweeteners must either be frozen or refrigerated and used within two or three weeks.
And:
No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin lets you control the type and/or quantity of sweentener in fruit spreads. “Ultra Light” recipes use no added sweetener; “Very Light” recipes use sugar replacements such as Splenda; “Light” recipes use small quantities of granulated sugar. Ingredient quantities as well as the order in which you add ingredients are all dependent upon the sweetener and consequently the recipe version you choose to use. Follow directions carefully!
http://www.homecanning.com/can/alrecipes...
How about AGAVE NECTAR?
Agave Nectar comes from the Agave Plants, the same family as from which tequila is made. It has a low glycemic level & it's a delicious, safe alternative to table sugar since it doesn't contain processing chemicals.Because it's sweeter than table sugar, less is needed. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance (Type II, non-insulin dependant) or are simply watching carb intake.Agave Nectar is the recommended natural caloric sweetener in low calorie diets for reduction and weight control. It might be used in less quantity than sucrose or synthetic sweeteners, obtaining the same sweetness level with fewer calories.
It's easy to use, just substitute 1/4 cup Agave for every 1 cup of sugar in your recipes.
I purchase mine from my local WHOLE FOODS MARKET.
Honey is pretty much sugar. It would be of no use to omit the sugar and add honey. anyway, i don't think it would gel properly that way. I think you should experiment around with the pectin instead. I have never made strawberry jam, but i have made strawberry pie, and it takes an awful lot to get a strawberry pie to jell probably. when we make black berry jam we use pectin.