Thursday

Fruit Jam with Low Amount of Any Sweetener



Not long ago sugar concerns emerged in my family, thus we have tried to avoid super-refined sugar products whenever we can. Since that time, traditional homemade jams and jellies had been relegated to a once-in-a-while treat.









This was sad news for me because summertime always meant both freezing the bounty of summer fruits, as well as putting up many jars of homemade jam for gifts and to enjoy throughout the year. Apricot, Peach, Cherry, Nectarine, Plum from the trees and fresh berries from our vines would be preserved-- but these days, not so much.

We've tried the commercially prepared sugar-free jams, but honestly they are not very pleasing to my palate. Prior to our sugar restrictions I enjoyed making Fresh Fruit Freezer Jams using less sugar. But still they were sweetened with refined white sugar.










So when I recently discovered Pomona's Universal Pectin I was practically dancing in the aisle of my healthy food store. :D
You see, ordinary fruit pectins call for 55-85% sugar to set firmly but Pomona's Universal is composed of low methoxyl pectin (from citrus peel), and calcium (included in the package) is what activates the jelling properties--not excess sugar.



There is nothing quite like a smear of homemade jam on a slice of toasted whole-grain homemade bread.
And more good news ~ this pectin can be used to make cooked jam and jelly, as well as freezer jam sweetened to just the degree you like it, using honey, sugar, fruit juice, artificial sweetener, agave syrup (my personal favorite), or any other sweetener.








This time I made Nectarine Jam with some just picked-tree ripened
(and still warm from the sun!) fruit.






And as heavenly as it tastes today, it will be treasured even more on a cold, stormy/ snowy morning come this winter ~ a sweet reminder of warm summer days.



If you have trouble finding this brand of pectin in your area you can visit the company website at http://www.pomonapectin.com/ for "where to purchase", and you can also buy directly from the site.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This is my submission for:
"Simple Lives Thursday"


And



Foodie Friday.
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Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you each have a beautiful weekend.


Disclaimer:
I have received no compensation whatsoever for recommendation of this product.















18 comments:

  1. Ooooh... wonderful. Thanks so much for the link, I look forward to checking out their site.

    :)
    ButterYum

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  2. I'll be looking for this at our health food store. Great find Mary.

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  3. Wow what a great find. I'm going to hunt for this right away and order it online if I can't find it at my local health food store. Your jams look luscious. This will be great for the fig jam I normally make this time of year.

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  4. I am definitely going to look for this and give it a try. I'm also trying to cut the sugar where I can.

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  5. Mary, such a pretty colour. You can tell just by looking at it that the flavour is going to be very intense. Something that Moe would love on toasted homemade bread.

    Ann

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  6. Being a diabetic, I carefully monitor my sweet intake; thanks for the heads up re this product. Your pictures are beautiful, as ever.

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  7. Being a diabetic, I carefully monitor my sweet intake; thanks for the heads up re this product. Your pictures are beautiful, as ever.

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  8. Being a diabetic, I carefully monitor my sweet intake; thanks for the heads up re this product. Your pictures are beautiful, as ever.

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  9. Mary this is right up my alley! As you know I must be very careful as well!
    I miss you...hope to catch up soon!
    I have not been around much....
    Gorgeous pics!

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  10. Great photography and the fruit jam looks very tempting!

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  11. Sounds perfect. I love a recipe that changes up the ingredient quantities to get healthier results :)

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  12. I haven't been to their site yet, but I'm sure your photo of their packaging plus your homemade jam will beat anything on their site! You could sell that pic to them for advertising! Nectarine jam sounds so good, and yes, it will taste wonderful come winter!

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  13. It looks so good. The packaging is so cute for that pectin.

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  14. I also like the taste of jams but never could feel good about them when I poured all that white sugar into the mixture. Thanks for the info.

    Also, how did you get your photo to have a watercolor effect? That is a really neat technique.

    Elisabeth
    http://homeschoolblogger.com/timbuck2mom/

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  15. Pamona's is my favorite as well :D Thanks so much for sharing on Simple Lives Thursday.

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  16. This is such great news! I too would like to cut down on my sugar intake!!
    Your jam looks heavenly. And the images are just perfection... I could eat them!
    As usual I leave your gorgeous blog so inspired and uplifted!!!!
    Beautifullly done, my friend!
    Yvonne

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  17. Great news for those who are watching their sugars (which we all should be). I'm forwarding this to my brother-in-law who will be very interested in reading this. Thanks so much.

    Fabulous photos!
    Sam

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  18. Just the pectin pack would have lured me in..Good for you and the new healthier versions of everything..the photos look even more delicious:)

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