"There is rhythm to being a farmgirl. It is the rhythm of working hard when there is work to be done. It is the rhythm of finding joy in the "doing" of the work. It is also the rhythm of slowing down to enjoy each moment."
~Rene Groom
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This is a re-posting of an earlier post, since it's getting to be time for making jams and preserves!
Pectin is found in the skins/peels of many fruits, and has thickening properties. Commercial pectin, on the other hand, is a processed powder made from apple (typically) and/or citrus peels. It is far from natural...have a quick look HERE at a chart showing the steps to make powdered pectin. You'll probably realize why you're allergic to it, if you are!
I used the recipe from my Ball Blue Book of Canning for peach preserves, and modified it to include blueberries and to use the agar-agar. Here are the ingredients lists for both...each uses 4 pounds of fruit. Note the amount of sugar called for in each:
Peach Preserves
8 cups sliced, peeled, pitted peaches (about 4 pounds)
1 pkg. powdered pectin
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups sugar
Blueberry-Peach Preserves w/Agar-Agar
4 pounds combination blueberries & peaches (slice, peel, and pitt peaches)
4 Tablespoons Agar-Agar Flakes
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/4 cups pure cane sugar (do use CANE sugar...others can be from sugar beets or other cheap sweet stuff)
Did you check out that difference in sugar? This jam has a delicate sweet flavor that comes from the fruit itself, rather than the overpowering taste of sugar. I love it! Here are the instructions for how to make it:
- Have your jars sterile and ready (I just use my dishwasher, and keep the door shut to keep them hot; it takes my canner about 40 minutes to boil, I think, so I start the water bather heating when my dishwasher has about 40 minutes to go until the end of the cycle).
Put all ingredients except Agar-Agar into a stock pot or deep pasta pot. Mash the peaches and berries with a potato masher (you could use a food processor...but I like my jam a tad chunky, so I don't use one for this). Stir to mix sugar in well.- Bring a good book or magazine to have by the stove (you'll see why...)
- Bring it all to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Add agar-agar, stir in well.
- Turn down heat to warm, and mash some more with the potato masher (the hot fruits are softer so they'll mash really nicely now...careful that you don't get spattered with hot fruit).
- Turn heat back up to resume a gentle boil; set the timer for 20 minutes, and keep stirring.
- Keep stirring, stirring, stirring...just keep stirring the whole 20 minutes!
The agar-agar will begin to thicken at the end of the stirring time. ***DO NOT ADD MORE AGAR-AGAR...WHAT YOU HAVE IS PLENTY, AND IT WILL THICKEN! BE PATIENT! ***(How do I know this? I wasn't patient, and I added another Tablespoon of agar-agar...my jam is delicious, but really jellied...more than I would like.) - When the timer goes off, you're ready to ladle this into your hot canning jars; be super careful, this stuff is super hot. To prevent the jars from possible cracking, hold a metal table knife in the jar with one hand while you ladle with the other.
- Wipe down tops and sides and tightly screw on lids. Some people just let the lids seal at this point, but I water-bath processed mine for 10 minutes.
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6 comments:
Lori! Thanks for sharing this recipe! Will definitely be trying this on a future jam making session. :)
Blessings, ~Lisa
Hi Lori, This looks good! I've put it in my favorites.
For now, we're just freezing fruit and thickening it with cornstarch as we use it on pancakes etc, but if the freezers get too full, that won't work.
Annie Kate
I am so glad you reposted this! I had forgotten about it and I am getting ready to make raspberry jam. Can I keep everything the same and just use raspberries? I hope so. Thank you once again for reposting this. ((HUGS))
Blessings and ((HUGS))
In Him<><
-Mary
Hi Mary! Yes, I'm sure you can use any fruit...it called for 4 pounds of peaches, and I added blueberries to my peach supply, enough to equal 4 pounds. So it would be 1.8kg fruit is equal to 4 pounds, if I'm calculating right...
If your raspberries are somewhat tart, just check the sugar level. The flavor of this jam is different than typical jams, because you don't add nearly as much sugar. The jams are more mild, and they taste more like the fruit. I LOVE it!
{{{HUGS}}},
Lori
PS: Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi,
I just want to get sure that I understood everything correctly: pectin, gelatine and agar agar are all perfect substitutes for each other? So if a recipe calls for any of the above ingredients then I can just use whichever one I have at home? Is there any difference in the final product between them? Texture, how firm it is etc.
Do they all substitute in 1 to 1 ratio?
Sorry about all the questions but I have tried to do an internet search and the info there is all over the place.
You are my last hope (LOL).
Thank you.
Hi, Alina, thanks for stopping by! I feel your pain regarding the search for answers...there's not much out there. I am not an expert on this, but did have success making jam. It may not have been too clear in the post, but if you look at the two recipes posted, they are essentially identical, I just used different fruit. So where 1 package of pectin was called for (not sure how much is in a packet), you use 4 Tablespoons of Agar Agar FLAKES. Then I used only 1/5 to 1/6 the sugar called for in the pectin recipe.
I don't think you can automatically substitute in any recipe for gelatin, because Agar Agar must be heated in order to thicken. Maybe gelatin is the same, I'm not sure. But if your recipe calls for the stuff to be heated, then I would think you could substitute. If you purchase (or look at) a package of Agar agar flakes, I believe it gives instructions for jello-type use. I'm not at home now, or I'd look for you, sorry.
As for texture, my jam had lovely, smootheness to it; because (as I detailed in the post) I didn't trust it for jelling while cooling (or didn't understnad that's when the jelling happens), I added another Tblspoon of flakes. So my jam was firmer than it should have been. Just know that the heating releases the jelling properties of agar agar, but it doesn't set up fully until it's re-cooled.
I wish I could give better answers, but I've only done the jam with it. Hope this helps you!
Blessings,
Lori
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