Dave - I always wonder why the US uses volume measurements for dry ingredients when there is so much margin for error. Do you think you'd ever go over to weight? Is there any movement in that direction? Habit probably. But hey it's better then "pinch of" and "handful of". :-) Was talking about that with the grandsons last week and apparently they are learning it the 'new' way in school along with metrics (which they prefer). They were trying to explain it to me. So while Grandpa tends to go Huh?? the younger generations are much more open to making the needed changes it seems. Every time the issue has come up in the US in the past - from what I read anyway - the baby boomer generation (we AARP members) tend to raise cain. But yes I do see a very gradual (some would call it sneaky) shifting in labeling and measurement instructions. Government is just waiting for we old stubborn foggies to die off before making it all official and required. Dave

A longer process time? Not sure what you mean by that. Peaches are low-acid and low-pectin so getting them to set well with no commercial pectin and reduced sugar is not likely. You can in theory cook the jam long enough to evaporate out sufficient water for a thicker mixture but it's not truly jelled and there's a risk of over-cooking and the loss of freshness of taste. The set of a jam requires a specific ratio of acid+sugar+pectin. So in a sense you're asking mother nature to break her own rules. While some reduction of sugar is possible it's likely the best result will be a softer set preserve. The other option would be to improve the setting qualities by mixing the peaches with a higher-pectin fruit or fruit juice, like apple. You can, in fact, make your own natural pectin base from apples or citrus and then use it in your jams. Carol

There is no "standard" conversion. The whole thing about Pomona is you have utter flexibility. The only consideration is taste and personal preference. (Of course, the lower the sugar the greater the reduction in shelf and refrigerator life. Also, low or no-sugar preserves are different in texture and "mouth-feel.") Carol

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to this, I got very side tracked by applesauce. I just started making my jelly (well my juice tonight). I think I am going your route and using the lemon juice. I wish I had some Pomona Pectin to use after reading so much the last few days, but with all this Ball's left, I really want to use it up before trying another. What I can't figure out is it does seem like Pomona is saying you do have to use lemon juice for the acidity because of the low sugar of the more sugary apples, that you don't need it for the tart apples. Why doesn't Ball specify that you need added acidity? I have decided to use it in your exact quantities and just use the pectin I have. I assume there is no issue with that as the pectin is only a thickener right?