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8/25/2014 3:08:45 PM

How To Jam It Up... Full and Low Sugar Style and High Altitude Jam



This post will explain how to make jams and marmalades using Ball Low Sugar pectin including the the following recipes... most of which I made up.  This method can also be used for canning many other types of jams, and also includes notes for high-altitude jam and the adjustments that are needed due to altitude.
  • Plum Delicious Preserves  (Ball Standard Recipe adjusted for tart plums)
  • Strawberry Coconut Jam  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • Low Sugar - Coconut Cherry Crunch  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • Low Sugar - Cinnamon Candy Apple Marmalade  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • Extra Low Sugar - Tart Cherry Lime-alade  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • Low Sugar - Cinnamon Limeade Crunch  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • Low Sugar - Cranberry Limeade  (Recipe Made Up by TinkerT)
  • No Sugar - Plum Delicious Preserves (Recipe Adjusted to use Stevia Sweetener)
  • Winter Jam  (Strawberry and Pineapple)  (Family Recipe Adjusted for Ball Low Sugar Pectin by TinkerT)
  • Low Sugar - Winter Jam  (Strawberry and Pineapple)  (Family Recipe Adjusted for Ball Low Sugar Pectin and Low Sugar by TinkerT)
For more information on Jam, Pectin, Water-Bath Canning, and what started me on this, view this post.

I used this Ball Pectin Calculator to get an idea of what the pectin/fruit/juice/sugar ratios should be for jams and jellies that were similar to what I wanted to make and then made best guesses as to what would work for my recipes.  I printed the "Guessapies" and made notes and changes as we went, so now I have firm recipes for making them again.

Hardware Needed:
  • Six 8oz canning jars with lids and rings (per batch)
  • Extra jar or dish for left-over "Tasting" jam
  • Dishwasher with heated dry cycle or large pot for boiling jars
  • Large pot for cooking jam
  • Smaller pot for boiling flat lids.
  • Water-bath canner (Large lidded pot with base rack)
  • Optional (but very helpful) canning tools...  canning funnel, jar grabber, magnetic lid picker-upper
  • Several bowls and measuring cups for preparing ingredients
The pectin used for thickening the jams is:

Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin

Note:  Pectin types are not interchangeable and require different methods for preparing and cooking the jam.  I researched several, but this one seems the best for making jam regardless of full sugar or low sugar types.  Also, full sugar jams will keep longer after opening than low sugar jams.

Tested jams on 8/23/14
Ingredients:

Plum Delicious Preserves

Ball Standard Recipe 
(adjustment for tart plums included)

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Fine-Chopped or Blended Plums
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 5 c. Sugar ( 7 c. if Plums are tart )

Strawberry Coconut Jam

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Rough Chopped, Crushed, or Blended Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 c. Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 5 c. Sugar
Low Sugar

Coconut Cherry Crunch Marmalade

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 2 c. Cold Water
  • 5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 2 c. Fine-Chopped Maraschino Cherries and their own syrup
  • 2 c. Small-Chopped Water Chestnuts
  • 3 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1/2 c. Shredded Coconut
  • 2 c. Sugar 

Low Sugar

Cinnamon Candy Apple Marmalade

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 3 c. Small-Chopped Green Apples
  • 3 c. Apple Juice
  • 1 Package Red Hots Candy (6oz)
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • Zest of 2 Lemons or 3 Limes (Optional)
  • 1 1/2 c. Sugar 
Extra Low Sugar

Tart Cherry Lime-alade

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 3 c. Cold Water
  • 5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Fine-Chopped Maraschino Cherries and their own syrup
  • 3 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • Zest of 3 Limes
  • 1/2 c. Sugar for Extra Tart (2 c. for sweet-tart)
Low Sugar

Cinnamon Limeade Crunch

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 1 1/2 c. Apple Juice
  • 4 c. Small-Chopped Water Chestnuts
  • 1 Package Red Hots Candy (6oz)
  • Zest of 3 Limes
  • 3 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 1/2 c. Lime Pulp
  • 3 c. Sugar


Tested Jams on 8/27/14
Ingredients:   

Winter Jam  -  Strawberry and Pineapple

Family Recipe Adjusted for Ball Low Sugar Pectin by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 3 c. Rough Chopped, Crushed, or Blended Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
  • 1 1/2 c. Canned Crushed Pineapple (juice drained)
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 5 c. Sugar

Extra Low Sugar  -OR-  No Sugar

Winter Jam  -  Strawberry and Pineapple

Family Recipe Adjusted for Ball Low Sugar Pectin and Low Sugar by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 3 c. Rough Chopped, Crushed, or Blended Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
  • 1 1/2 c. Canned Crushed Pineapple (juice drained)
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 c. Sugar  -OR-  Or Stevia equivalent to 1 c. Sugar
Note:  Stevia has an aftertaste like diet sodas do.  If you do not like diet soda, you probably won't like the jam.

Extra Low Sugar  -OR-  No Sugar

Plum Delicious Preserves

Ball Standard Recipe 
(adjustment for tart plums included)

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Fine-Chopped or Blended Plums
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 c. Sugar  -OR-  Stevia Sweetener equivalent to 2 c. Sugar

Note:  Stevia has an aftertaste like diet sodas do.  If you do not like diet soda, you probably won't like the jam.

Cranberry Lime-alade

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Cranberry Juice
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • Zest of 4 Limes
  • 5 c. Sugar 
Note:  Even with 5 cups of sugar this is a tart jam.

Tested Jams on 8/27/14
Ingredients:   

Sweet & Sour Coconut Lime

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 1 c. Cold Water
  • 3 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 1 c. Puree Lime w/Juices (peal and squeeze before putting in blender to puree)
  • 1 c. Shredded Coconut
  • 1 c. Apple Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 5 c. Sugar
Note:  This makes a sweet and very sour that may be better for cooking or dipping than on toast.

Low Sugar

Mango Lime Marmalade

Recipe Made Up by TinkerT

  • 2 c. Cold Water
  • 4 1/2 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
  • 4 c. Diced, Crushed, or Blended Mangos (Pealed and Pitted first)
  • Zest of 2 Limes
  • 4 Tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 c. Sugar (3 if tart mangos)



Directions:

Prepare your water bath canner (big pot with rack in base and lid) with enough water to cover your jars by 1 to 2 inches... 2 to 3 inches for high altitude.
Remember, your jars will force the water up, so it may be a good idea to test this by putting in 5 jars and then filling the water to the right level.  Then take your jars out with the water that is inside them.  The level of the remaining water is where you should fill to.  Why 5 jars instead of 6?  Because you might cook down the jam and not be able to fit all 6 and it is better to have more water than needed than not enough and have to add cold water to your canner later.

I used a few jar lid rings in the bottom of my large stock pot and then put a splatter screen with the handle bent back on top of them to give a flat surface for the jars to sit on.  The splatter screen held bubbles in place, so it ka-blooped loudly as the bubbles came together and forced their way around or through the screen, but it worked.

  

Prepare fruit and ingredients into separate bowls so that they will be ready to go when you start cooking.
 
Note about Apples and other fruits that brown when cut:  I small-diced the apples and put them into a bowl of cold water with one teaspoon of lemon juice to keep them from browning while I prepared the other ingredients.

Note on Lime Zest:  For the lime zest, I started by trying to use the small hole grater, but the resulting zest would be perfect for just about any other use besides jam making.  It was much too fine, so I followed the directions on one of the many jam making articles I read in the last few days and used a vegetable peeler to carefully peal the skin and then stacked the pieces a few at a time to then cut with a sharp knife into very small slivers.  I did what?!?  Yes.  That.  And I was thinking the whole time... Will it be worth it?  Never.  But after one taste of the first jam and that perfectly sized zest gave my tongue a little smack... it IS worth it.  Oh... baby!

Wash your jars and lid-rings in the dishwasher if you have a heated-dry setting.  The heat-dry should keep your jars warm and ready to go for a couple of batches of jam.  If you don't have a heated dry, you may need to wash and then boil the jars to sanitize.  

Put your canner on medium-high heat so that it will be boiling by the time your jars are ready to go in.

Place your flat lids in a sauce pot with water.  Heat to boil for 5 minutes and then turn to low heat or off.  (You can continue to the next step while this is starting to boil.)

Now for the Jam...

Put cold water into large pot... a couple ice cubes will keep it nice and cold.

Whisk in the pectin until it is fully dissolved into the cold water.

Stir in fruit and other ingredients except the sugar.


Low to Medium Altitude
( Up to 5,000 Feet)

Turn on high heat and bring to full rolling boil (can't stir bubbles away), stirring frequently.

Add the sugar or sugar substitute and bring back to a full rolling boil stirring constantly.

Stir at full rolling boil for 1 minute.
High Altitude
(5,000 - 10,000 Feet)

Turn on high heat and bring to full rolling boil (can't stir bubbles away), stirring often.  Cover pot between stirring or you will never get to a full rolling boil... also, the rolling boil will look less impressive and bubbles will follow the stir instead of frothing all over.

Add the sugar or sugar substitute and bring back to a full rolling boil.  Again, cover pot between stirring but stir more frequently... something like 30 seconds covered, then 10 seconds stir, repeat, repeat, repeat...  Again the rolling boil will not be quite as impressive as at lower altitudes.

Continue with cover on and off stirring for 2 minutes at full rolling boil.

Turn off heat and stir until no longer boiling.

Skim off any foam with a large metal spoon.  (Marmalades may not make foam.)

Get jars from dishwasher or boil pot and sit them on a towel or paper towel on a heat resistant surface near the stove.

Ladle jam into jars to within 1/4 inch of top.  (I found it is easiest to fill them mostly with the funnel and then come back with a little more in the ladle or a spoon to top them off.  Also, use a bowl under your ladle as you move from the stove to the jars to prevent hot, sticky drips all over.) 



Wipe jars rims and threads with damp paper towel if needed.  (To get a good seal, you can not have any jam where the gum ring on the lid will touch the glass of the jar rim.)

Pull lids from the hot water (now is when that awesome magnet tool comes in super handy) and place on jars.

 

Add rings to jars.  (I found using my thumb to hold down the flat lid made it easier to add the rings without bumping around the flat lid too much.)

Then pick up jars by rings and hold jar with towel... snug the ring.

Ladle any extra that will not fill a full jar into an extra jar or dish to be refrigerated and used first... that is... if any makes it as far as the fridge.



Using jar grabber, place jars into your boiling water bath on top of the rack.  No jar grabber tongs?  Errrr... good luck with that and try not to burn yourself... too much.   (Water should come one inch above the jars or two to three inches for high altitude.)

Boil the jars in the canner... start timing when the bath is boiling again.

Sea to 1,000 ft15 Minutes
1,000 to 3,000 ft20 Minutes
3,000 to 6,000 ft25 Minutes
6,000 to 8,000 ft30 Minutes
8,000 to 10,000 ft35 Minutes

Carefully remove jars from bath and place on a towel over a heat-resistant surface.  

 
( Why yes!  That is a delicious turkey in the background that hubby roasted while we were doing all this. )

If fruit floats or sinks, flip jars over every 15 minutes until the jam starts to cool, thicken, and the fruit is suspended evenly in the jar.

 

As the jars cool, you will hear popping sounds as the lids vacuum seal.

After 24 hours press the tops of the lids.  If any of your lids pop back when you press them, they are not sealed and you should put that jar into the fridge for immediate use.  (Note:  Following the directions as written here, I did not have a single jar that was not sealed after only a few hours of cooling.)

Label your jars with a date, the type, and "Refrigerate After Opening".

Then enjoy the "fruits" of your labors.
 

And of course, thank anyone like hubby who helped!


     POST LINKS FORWARD TO:
          8/26/2014 7:42:29 PM - Jam Updated... and More Recipes
     POST LINKS BACK TO:
          8/25/2014 1:10:57 PM - Jamming Jamboree


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COMMENTS

8/26/2014 9:13:35 AM TheIndianFella
I had the Cherry Limeade!  It is phenomenal!!!!  Thank you so much for sending some with your husband!

8/26/2014 11:00:13 AM Punkin
What great ideas for your recipes they do look yummy! Never thought of water chestnuts but sounds very good1

8/26/2014 5:16:31 PM TinkerT
TheIndianFella... Thanks!  It is a bit on the tart side for me, but it seems quite a few people like it, and I am glad you do.

Punkin... Yea, the water chestnuts were something I really wanted to try because they keep their crunch even after cooking and canning.  Of course, I also thought it could turn out terrible, but since they don't have much, if any, flavor of their own, they added crunch without changing the flavor of the jam.

Add Your Comment...

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