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- Home >> Lifestyle: Preserves:
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- Making Fruit Spreads Preserve It Right
- by Patricia
Redlinger & Diane Nelson
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- Jams, jellies,
marmalades, preserves, and conserves are sweet spreads made from
fruit or juice; they differ in firmness, clarity and ingredients.
Jam is made from crushed or ground fruit and usually has
a thick consistency.
Jelly is made from fruit juice and contains no visible
pieces of fruit. It is clear and firm enough to hold its
shape when turned out of the jar.
Marmalade is a soft gel with pieces of fruit and citrus
peel.
Preserves are made by cooking whole or large pieces of
fruit in a thick sugar syrup.
Conserves are a mixture of fruits, citrus fruit, nuts
and raisins.
Nutrient
value
Fruit spreads have a high sugar content and provide mainly calories
(55 to 70 per level tablespoon). They should be used sparingly
by persons concerned about weight control or sugar consumption.
Low-sugar fruit spreads can be prepared from special recipes
using non-nutritive sweeteners and gelatin or pectin substitutes.
However, these products must be refrigerated or frozen to prevent
spoilage because non-nutritive sweeteners cannot preserve fruit
like sugar can.
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- Essential
ingredients
Pectin
is necessary for thickening or gel formation. It is present naturally
in fruit and also is commercially available in powdered or liquid
form.
Pectin is formed from protopectin as fruit ripens, or
as underripe fruit is cooked. All fruits have some pectin. Apples,
crabapples, gooseberries, citrus peel and certain plums contain
large amounts of pectin.
Other fruits, like blueberries, straw-berries, cherries, or huckleberries,
contain little pectin and will thickenonly if combined with fruit
rich in pectin, or combined with powdered or liquid pectin.
Most recipes call for powdered or liquid pectin. Fresh pectin
should be purchased yearly; old pectin may result in poor gels.
Spreads made without added pectin require longer cooking and
yield less product.
Acid must be present in sufficient amounts for a gel to
form. If natural acid is lacking, lemon juice or citrus fruit
is added. Commercial pectin products contain organic acids, like
fumaric acid.
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- Sugar helps gel formation,
adds sweetness, and acts as a preservative. Corn syrup can be
substituted for half the sugar. A light-colored, mild-flavored
honey can be used inplace of one-third of the sugar. Too much
honey or corn syrup will mask the fruit flavor and affect gel
formation.
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- Start with
tested recipes
For best results, always use tested recipes from a reliable source.
Measure ingredients carefully and follow the directions exactly.
Do not change the amount of sugar or fruit. Do not substitute
one type of pectin for another.
If you want a larger yield, prepare the recipe twice or as many
times as necessary. Do not double the recipe since the larger
quantity may not cook to the proper stage in the time suggested
in the recipe. Likewise, do not cut the recipe in half.
Many people prefer to make uncooked or freezer jams because they
are quick and have a more pronounced fresh fruit flavor. Recipes
for freezer jams are included with most pectin products. Be sure
to follow the recipe exactly.
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