Jam or syrup without pectin

[Old Fashioned]

I do still have several boxes of pectin on hand, but this year I've been making jam and even pancake syrup without it. I had seen a recipe for doing it 'somewhere' (sorry I forgot where exactly) but you could probably find something on the internet.

Anyway, the basics is to use the same amount of sugar as berries (or fruit?) and cook it till it starts to thicken. Syrup takes about 10 minutes and jam about 20.....give or take. It's just that easy.


My first attempts, I cooked the syrup a bit too long and ended up with twice as much jam. Second attempts, worked pretty good though the jam could have cooked a bit longer......same happened today that the jam was still pourable, not a full set. One possible contributing factor for both jams is that it was blackberry and I had Himalayan blackberries I picked from the yard. They are usually big, juicy, sweet berries but with little flavor or tang and that tang is important cause it's a natural pectin in the fruit. I did pick a few berries that were under ripe in the hopes of adding that tang, but probably not enough and of course should have cooked it longer. and/or added more sugar. I didn't do the half & half just because of the sweetness of the berry.

So I'll either redo the jam to thicken it up, or leave it as more syrup. Just sharing the info and my experience with it, in case pectin becomes a problem. Should also note, the batches of both jam & syrup that did set, were blueberry. Just the blackberry didn't work as planned.

[patriceinil]

Thanks for sharing your experience with jam and syrup making without pectin.

Supposedly apples have a lot of pectin in them so maybe adding a few apple peelings would work to thicken the jam while it’s simmering. Then just remove the peelings before you jar the jam up.

I would leave the unset jars as syrup for topping pancakes, waffles, ice cream or to flavor tea or water.

[Farmfresh]

I was reading this thread and thought we had a recipe for pectin. Evidently it was just a link that OF found some time back. I have made it into a proper recipe and a pectin thread. Maybe that can help.

[Old Fashioned]

Thanks for sharing your experience with jam and syrup making without pectin.

Supposedly apples have a lot of pectin in them so maybe adding a few apple peelings would work to thicken the jam while it’s simmering. Then just remove the peelings before you jar the jam up.

I would leave the unset jars as syrup for topping pancakes, waffles, ice cream or to flavor tea or water.

That's why I sometimes also can whatever juice or water is left in the pot when I can fruit........to flavor tea or water or????



Farm.......sorry about a double posting, I didn't even think to check. My bad

[Farmfresh]

Not at all ... really this IS a different thread. The one I made was how to make the pectin. This thread is all about the RESULTS of that. Also... I would not have been able to have done that new thread so quickly without you posting that old link way back when. I am just glad I remembered it enough to look for it.

If we ALL work and strive together on here - together we have one very smart brain.

[Old Fashioned]

How many homesteaders does it take to make a pint of jam?????



btw......what link did I post and where???

[Farmfresh]

viewtopic.php?f=83&t=1369&p=51176&hilit=pectin#p51176

[Old Fashioned]

Thank you Farm............yep the memory is the first to go