Sweeten jam with organic apple juice concentrate.
Mashed apricots before cooking.
Jam processes 5 minutes in hot water bath.Grandson waits patiently.
On June 15th, 2009 I posted how to make a low sugar strawberry jam that used a small amount of organic sugar and Pomona's Universal Pectin as its sweetening and jelling components. My family loved it and the site immediately got hits from all over the world which tells me that I'm not alone in my search for healthy jam.Today I'm going to remove the sugar completely and sweeten the jam with organic apple juice concentrate. To compare with the Sure Jell recipes, this one uses 1/3 cup of apple juice concentrate per cup of apricots (123 calories of apple concentrate) where Sure Jell calls for 1.4 cups of sugar per cup of prepared fruit (955 calories of sugar). Even their "lower sugar" recipe uses 3/4 cups of sugar per cup of apricots (453 calories of sugar). As a result, this jam has less than 9 calories per tablespoon, far less than the Sure Jell recipe.
Besides using this as a jam, you can also use this as a topping for pancakes or your favorite ice cream. Instead of buying flavored yogurt packed with sugar, use this jam to flavor plain yogurt. My favorite is organic goat yogurt from Redwood Hills.
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Organic Sugar Free Apricot Jam [makes 8 cups of jam]
6 cups mashed organic apricots (pit, chop or mash. Do NOT peel.)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed organic lime juice (or lemon juice)
2 cups organic apple juice concentrate (or white grape juice concentrate)
6 teaspoons pectin powder (you'll need less than one package of Pomona Universal Pectin)
8 teaspoons calcium water (comes in the Pomona Universal Pectin package)
Before starting, make calcium water:
1. Put 1/2 teaspoon white calcium powder and 1/2 cup water in a small, clear jar with lid.
2. Store in refrigerator between uses. Lasts a number of months - discard if settled white powder discolors.
3. Shake well before using.
Instructions for sugar free apricot jam:
1. Wash and rinse jars: let stand in hot water. Bring lids and rings to boil: turn down heat: let stand in hot water.
2. Prepare apricots. Wash, remove pits and finely chop. I don't peel them as the skin gives the jam a nice flavor. You can also throw them in a food processor and pulse a few times instead of finely chopping but be careful not to over process.
3. Place 6 cups of mashed or finely chopped apricots in a pan with 1/2 cup of lime (or lemon) juice. DO NOT ADD the apple juice concentrate.
4. Add 8 teaspoons of calcium water from the jar into the pan and stir well.
5. Bring 2 cups of apple concentrate to a boil in a separate pan. Put in a blender or food processor. Add 6 teaspoons of pectin powder, vent lid and blend for 1 to 2 minutes until all powder is dissolved.
6. Bring apricot mixture in pan to a boil. Add pectin-concentrate, stir 1 minute while cooking. Return to a boil and remove from heat.
7. Fill jars to 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims clean and screw on 2 piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover and boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Remove from water and let jars cool. Check seals after cooling - lids should be sucked down. DO NOT move the jars until completely cooled. I generally leave them alone overnight so they set up well. Jam lasts about 3 weeks once it is opened.
Per tablespoon of jam: 9.7 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 0.1 g protein, 2.3 g carbohydrates and 0.1 g of fiber.
30 comments:
Thank you. Your jam looks absolutely, positively yummy! I will try this recipe. Elise
Do you dilute the concentrate of apple juice or use it as is to make the 2 cups for your recipe?
Don't dilute, just use as is.
It was difficult to find a jam recipe that uses fruit juice to sweeten, thanks! Can I substitute raspberries for the apricots?
If you are starting with 6 cups of raspberries, you will need to cut down the amount of pectin powder to 4 teaspoons (instead of 6) and also cut down the amount of calcium water to 4 teaspoons (instead of 8). You also will not need any of the lime juice. So your recipe will look like:
6 cups mashed raspberries
2 cups apple juice concentrate
4 t pectin powder
4 t calcium water
Just make sure you use Pomona Universal Pectin!
Good Luck,
Joanne
Thanks for the raspberry jam recipe! I'm so glad I found pomona, I have quite the berry patch and was always urged by others to make jam but I was put off by all the sugar. I love your blog!
By the way, I posted a step by step on raspberry jam on July 12, 2011. Go to http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-make-organic-low-sugar-raspberry.html.
You're so lucky to have a big raspberry patch. We just planted raspberries two years ago and they are finally starting to produce!
Joanne
I do not have access to this calcium water stuff, do I need it, can I use something else?
I haven't found another product that works like this. Can you buy it on the internet? Try http://www.pomonapectin.com/order/index.html. On the bottom of the page, it has contacts for U.S., Canada and International.
Good luck,
Joanne
yes, I am going to get it online, after looking more it seems I must have the calcium- thank you
It sounds like you already have the box of Pomona. There are 2 packets in the box. The very small with the white powder is the calcium. The larger one, with the beige powder, is the pectin. I was confused when I opened my first one also.
Joanne
Hi, what is the calcium for? And what happens if you do not use it?
Cheers
The calcium helps the jam set without much sugar. If you don't use it, it won't work.
Joanne
Have you ever used white grape juice instead of apple juice? I've had some apricot jam from Whole Foods market and noticed on the label that the only sweetener is white grape juice. Loved the taste and would love to duplicate!
I haven't tried it but I'm sure it would work beautifully. The good folks at Pomona recommend it. Use the white grape juice so it doesn't affect the color.
Let me know how it turns out!
Joanne
can you preserve this jam using the traditional canning method even though it doesn't have sugar as a preservative?
how long will it last in jars on the shelf?
Using Pomona's directions, you don't need sugar to preserve jam. Stored in a cool, dark place, jam should last at least a year. I've had some of mine longer.
Joanne
How would you do this using blueberries? Same measurements? I noticed raspberries were different....
Thanks! Emma
Blueberries require less pectin powder and calcium water.
For 6 cups of mashed blueberries, reduce the 8 teaspoons of calcium water to 4 teaspoons.
Also reduce 6 teaspoons of pectin powder to 4 teaspoons.
The rest is the same.
Good luck!
Joanne
I am heading out to get some pomona's today so I can make this!
Just cuious, how would you do this using a mix of raspberries and apricots?
Hi Jana,
I'm not sure how to mix those two fruits. Raspberries require less pectin and calcium water than apricots do.
Raspberries require 2t of both pectin powder and calcium water per 3 cups of mashed fruit while apricots require 3t of pectin powder and 4t of calcium water per 3 cups of mashed fruit.
In addition, raspberries do not require lemon juice while apricots do. So I'm not sure how to successfully mix them.
To ask the good folks at pomona, you can email them at info@pomonapectin.com.
Good luck!
Joanne
Hi,
Thanks for this. I've been looking for such a recipe as I just had my first jam-making experience and find the jam too sweet as I'm used to St Dalfour's sugar free jam. I will be picking damsons and blackberries soon to try out your recipe. Any recommendations with these fruits?
Thanks,
Sarah
I'm not familiar with damsons but I've made a wonderful jam with both sweet and sour blackberries. Using Pomona Universal Pectin, you can use as little as 3/4 cups of sugar to 4 cups of mashed berries. The sweet blackberries use some lemon juice whereas the sour blackberries do not. The recipe for both is:
4 cups mashed fruit
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pectin powder
2 teaspoons calcium water
1/4 cup lemon juice (for the sweet blackberry)
See my post on how to make low sugar raspberry jam for the rest of the instructions at http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-make-organic-low-sugar-raspberry.html.
Good Luck,
Joanne
Hi! I love that this recipe uses no sugar. This was my first canning experience and Im glad I chose your recipe. Turned out great! Thanks!
Glad it turned out well! With Pomona, you can make jam with a little sugar, agave, honey, concentrated fruit juice or no sweetener at all. That's why I dedicated an entire chapter of my new ebook to making jam with pomona's universal pectin. I love this stuff!
Joanne
Glad it turned out well! With Pomona, you can make jam with a little sugar, agave, honey, concentrated fruit juice or no sweetener at all. That's why I dedicated an entire chapter of my new ebook to making jam with pomona's universal pectin. I love this stuff!
Joanne
Thanks for inspiring me to make a sugar free version of apricot jam! I've been making apricot jam with sugar for 40 years with sugar. Like many cooks I didn't follow this exactly as I didn't have the Pomona pectin and found some sugar free pectin locally. I wanted a spread to also go with cheese and so used less pectin, and half the apple juice concentrate. It is very tasty with much more apricot taste than with sugar!! I am very excited about your blog and book. Thanks again.
Hi Melissa,
So glad I could provide a little inspiration. The fruit really comes through nicely with these sugar-free recipes.
You are very welcome!
Joanne
When you mention placing the jars in boiling water, are they actually submerged? Thanks!
Yes Cathy, there should be an inch or two of boiling water over the jars.
Joanne
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