Question: With all the fresh strawberries available now, I’d love to be able to make jam or preserves. Is there a no-sugar or low-sugar method you could recommend?
Answer: You can make reduced or no-sugar jams and jellies with purchased pectins sold specifically for that purpose, such as Mrs. Wages™ Lite Home Jell Fruit Pectin, Ball No-Sugar Needed Pectin or Sure-Jell for Less or No-Sugar-Needed Recipes. Specific recipes will be found on the package inserts, and directions should be followed carefully. With these low-methoxyl pectins, no sugar is required at all. Sugar substitutes can be added as desired simply for flavor. The package inserts with these pectins give instructions on when to add the sugar substitutes (usually after all the cooking, right before filling the jars).
You cannot, however, replace sugar with artificial sweeteners or reduce the amount of sugar in regular recipes because the sugar is needed for gel formation. Sugar is an important ingredient in preserves and jellies. It must be present in the proper proportion with pectin and acid to make a good gel. Sugar is the preservative for the product, preventing the growth of microorganisms. It also contributes to the taste of the product. Never cut down on the amount of sugar a recipe calls for. Traditional preserve recipes use whole or uniform pieces of fruit in a very thick sugar syrup. These syrupy fruit preserves have short boiling water canner processes; without that heavy amount of sugar, these products become fruit pieces canned in water or lighter sugar syrups and require the longer canning process times established for canned fruit.
Please note that if aspartame (a low-calorie nutritive sweetener) is used, the sweetening power of aspartame may be lost within 3 to 4 weeks. Lower-sugar or no-sugar-added spreads may have a shorter refrigerated shelf life than those made with the traditional amounts of sugar. Natural flavor changes in the fruit base are more noticeable without the sugar to mask them; for example, some lower-sugar spreads may taste more tart or acidic over time. Light-colored spreads may also darken more quickly with less added sugar.
Freezer jams is another alternative for no-sugar preservation. It has to be stored in the refrigerator after thawing and will only retain good quality for 3 to 4 weeks after opening. They are subject to more syneresis (“weeping” or separation of liquid from the gel) than cooked jams and jellies.
Note: For safe eating practices, store your opened jar of jam or jelly in the refrigerator until consumed, and examine it frequently for signs of spoilage (like mold or yeast growth, or off-odors, including “fermented,” “alcohol” or “yeasty” odors). Discard the product immediately if any signs of spoilage are detected.
Vickie Clark is the Director of the Carter County UT Extension Office and also serves as the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent. If you have questions or need any information related to Family and Consumer Science contact her at the UT Extension Carter County, 824 East Elk Ave., Elizabethton, call 542-1818 or email at vclark@utk.edu.