Has anyone made Raspberry/blackberry jam WITHOUT sugar but using fruit juice to sweeten. I have looked on the net but I am so nervous I'll screw this up. Please help if you are certain of how to do this. :thumbup: Thanks sssssoooooo Much!!

PS I do not have a canner, only a pressure cooker and/ or a large pot

I don't know about the no sugar but I do know you don't need a canner to make jam. I cook the jam according to direction using sure-jell and sugar and pour into hot jars, seal and turn over for 5 minutes, turn back over and listen to them pop as the air is sucked out naturally and the jam is sealed.

I have been canning for years and use a big pot as I don't have a canner or pressure. Sure Jell has a no sugar needed pectin. I would use that so that your jam comes out perfect. Make sure the label says less/no sugar sure jell it is in a pink box. If you can't find it in the store amazon.com sells it but you have to buy something like 6 or 8 boxes. The regular sugar added Sure Jell is in a yellwo box.

I bought Ball No-Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin. But I am not clear if I need lemon juice! Geeze I don't wanna screw this up :? Anyone for a trip to Alaska to help this knuckle head out???

If your recipe says to process the jam - I have no idea if they do or not - you can use a pressure cooker like a hot water bath canner - just leave the gasket off/out of the lid and the pressure thingy off the lid (if that's how yours works)

and cover the jars with water to over one inch.

If that's what the instructions call for.

My Mom made freezer strawberry jam. Awesome. But it did have sugar in it.

I would come and I have relatives that live up there and in the Yukon LOL. Really jam is easy. Follow the directions and you'll do fine. As for methods I put all my jars on a cookie sheet place in oven set at 250. Then I place all the lids rubber ring side up in a pan of water and set those on a med low. Then when jam is ready fill your jars, I use a fork to fish the lids out of the hot water and then place on top of the hot jar of jam and screw on the lid tight. I simply set them somewhere without a draft and they all pop.

NOt sure why you would use lemon, but if the receipe calls for it, I'd use it. Is it just a small amount of lemon> Maybe it is to keep fruit from discoloring.

I learned to make jam and jellies from my mom and grandma. I take canning wax and shave some into each jar. About 1/4 c or so and after you cook your jam then ladle it into the jars and leave a 1/2" space at top. The wax will melt and rise through the jam and set up on top sealing it in. NO canning or pressure canning to make jam. Just cook your fruit and add the surejell and put in jar. Easy to make. Follow the directions in the surejell for how to make the jam according to what fruit used.

Lemon juice is added when needed if the fruit doesn't have enough acidic content.

Just a note: If your jam doesn't set up right and ends up runny it makes great pancake syrup!

I really wouldnt think you would need lemon. I have only made the blackberry freezer jam, and I didnt need lemon.

My mom melted the wax and poured it on top of the jams and jellies - it made a seal - sometimes she's put a lid on over it.

I remember pushing the wax down to break the seal -

Hello alaskasunshine - I make jams all the time in my pressure cooker (only cook fruit for 15mins or so unless soft berries, then few minutes) so no ned for canning equipment, but a Jam thermometer is useful if you can find one. Any heavy based large saucepan would be ideal too but it will take a while longer to soften the fruit. There are books for low sugar and sugar free jam making, but you might like to google for recipes. Jams and preserves can also be made in microwave ovens!!

Pectin is needed to set all jams, thus lemon juice is added - there is a commercial product Jamsetta by Vacola if jam doesn't set properly.

Just want to pick up the 'no sugar' comment; fruit juice concentrate contains high levels of sugar (fructose). I am very opposed to food industry efforts to make fructose ( sugar) sound like a healthy alternative when in fact your body is still getting sugar (and, if you take in more than you burn off, converting it to fat).

Go buy the low/no sugar pectin. Follow the recipe for your fruit to the letter!! If it calls for a little bit of lemon juice add it. It helps the pectin set up.

Several of the canning methods mentioned here are not considered safe. You can water bath can jams and jellies.

A Ball Blue Book would be very, very helpful for you. You can get them everywhere canning jars are sold and they're about 7 or 8 dollars.

I made 13 full cases of jams and jellies one year.

I've not made no sugar jellies/jams, BUT I have made very low sugar ones using Pomona's Universal Pectin. It is fabulous!!
here's their website:
http://www.pomonapectin.com/
It costs MUCH less to order it in bulk. But believe me, one 1 ounce box will do several batches of jelly/jam. and I've never processed them other than to boil, and pour into hot, sterilized jars and sealed.
You CAN make no sugar jellies/jams with Pomona's.....forgot to say that the first time. : )

Thank you CG, I just ordered some of that pectin. I will make some kiwi jam.

made some Strawberry/Kiwi several years ago........my family still raves about it........I guess I should make some more...LOL.....I used a Champion juicer to juice the kiwi--did not break the seeds --if you break the kiwi seeds you will get a peppery flavor from them....

I use this site all of the time for canning and preserving.

http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

With the paraffin, my Grandma used to drop in a string and let it hang over the side till it had come to the top, this was to pull out the topping. I don't know anyone who uses it nowadays, most all of us use the 2 piece canning lids, which are cheap and very useful.

Simply follow the directions, thousands of women have made jams this way and succeeded. Just remember to tighten the lids and then set them upside down on a towel to cool. When they are cold, or room temp, turn them upright and push in on the round lid. If it goes click and up and down, it is not sealed. Either use it soon or process it again.

My sister and I had a firm rule..we wouldn't label it till it had set and we knew it was sealed. Then if it shook up like juice, we labeled it as "Pancake Syrup" and if it was solid, we'd label it "Jam or Jelly".

If you want it to taste sweet without sugar, couldn't you use Splenda? No sugar.

We made it with AGAVE nectar. It turned out wonderful!
Thanks for the suggestions.

Can I ask why you chose to use this sweetener?