Mold is the only real concern with jams because the fruits are high acid. So if there is any sign of mold on top I wouldn't eat it. Some just scrape it off but I think it affects the flavor and safety of the whole jar.

But I would be sure to ask her why the jar wasn't sealed and how long it had set out.

Dave

As Dave said, unless there's mold (and that's unlikely) there's no risk. Moldy jam should definitely be discarded, but given the short timeframe and the refrigeration after, I'm guessing there are no problems with it.

Carol

I agree, the jam should be fine. My girls regularly left jars of jam or jelly sitting on the table or counter for a couple of days while I was out of town, etc.

Barring the problem with mold, which is evident, I wouldn't worry about the safety.

Annie

What Annie said. Jam being high in acid and sugar can go a long time without refrigeration without showing any ill effects. In the 1800's people used to store jams in crocks in the spring house with only oiled paper coverings to seal out air. I wouldn't recommend it, it's not a good thing to do, but it isn't the end of the world so without any signs of mold it is probably fine and actually will be great, blackberry jam, yum!

We've been eating it, kept it in the fridge. I did notice that it's much sweeter than my blackberry jam (hers was raspberry). Not sure if it's just that raspberries are sweeter or if the Sure-Jell recipe calls for higher % of sugar. Or maybe it's the lemon juice I use.

I *did* find Sure-Jell twin packs at Walmart today (after searching online and finding it at a store 30 miles away, I walked into local Walmart for something else and there it was in Seasonal, along with $6 cases of jars when I just spent $7.50 at the grocery store). They also had Ball low-sugar pectin, I was thinking of trying that for my DS who is sensitive to sugar (and my cousin's wife, who bought 3 jars of jam from me on Sat and asked about sugar). The box says to use apple juice, and sugar is "optional". Any good recipes? I was wondering about using Splenda for baking (I have a sample pack), sugar? Or no sugar, only apple juice? I've used apple juice concentrate in baking, don't have any right now but I do have unsweetened juice.

Got me thinking though, if I'm using apple juice (and can add lemon), can I do without the pectin? Don't know if Splenda helps gel, but since apple juice has pectin and natural sugars, is there a recipe for a no-sugar jam that just uses apple juice, no sugar? Or reduced sugar anyway? Right now I'm using 5C of ripe berries, 1C of barely ripe berries, 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and 4C of sugar to make 2 pints of jam. TIA

ajsmama, I make jam with Splenda, but I don't use pectin, I cook it longer, until it gets to jell point, and then can it. It's a learning process and takes much longer, but it's good. I've never used the no sugar pectin, so I can't say about that, but my aunt uses it and likes it.

Anyway, the point is that low sugar jams and spreads do not last as long as full sugar spreads, the sugar does act as a preservative of sorts. So, I keep low sugar or no sugar spreads in the refrigerator and use them more quickly, and I put them in smaller jars so they are used up before they could spoil. Also, they do not have the same color, sometimes they seem a bit paler than spreads with lots of sugar.

Splenda does not help anything to jell, and I add it to taste. I really like the results better when I use maybe one half cup to one cup of sugar to 6 cups of fruit, and then Splenda to taste and make a low sugar spread, rather than a no-sugar one.

Annie

A good out of print book that has recipes for lower sugar (not no sugar, just tons less than the pectin jams have) jams is "Summer in a Jar" by Andrea Chesman. But like Annie said, those jams do not last anywhere near as long after opening, and don't have quite the "gell" of a pectin/sugar jam. The taste is more delicate. Andrea uses apples mixed with low pectin fruits as one technique for making the lower sugar jams. Plus like Annie says, they have to be cooked lots longer. I just made peach maple last night though, it was FAB. Here's the recipe:

Peach Maple Jam from "Summer in a Jar" by Andrea Chesman
5 lbs. peaches
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
Yields about 10 half pints.
Blanch the peaces in boiling water to cover for 1 minute to loosen the skins. Drain, cool and peel. Remove the pits and chop the peaches very finely. You can use a food processor.
I a large nonaluminum pot, combine the peaches, lemon juice, maple syrup and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and gently boil for 10 minutes until thick. The jam is ready when it begins to hold its shape when dropped onto a cold plate.
(NOTE: I find that I have to cook these jams much longer than the recipe says to get them to firm up. I use the cold plate method to test them.
Skim off any foam on the surface and ladle into hot, sterilized jars, (1/2 pint or 6 oz.), leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Lpink's note: We boiled it for about 40 min. for it to thicken up enough. I was using a candy thermometer but I never have luck with those things. I bought a brand new one and it didn't work AT ALL. The cold plate test works well with this jam. We got 7 1/2 pints, not 10.

Thanks Annie and "Pink". So you think 5C ripe blackberries, 1C less ripe, 1C apple juice (per Ball No-sugar pectin recipe), 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1C sugar and then Splenda (baking blend) to taste would work w/o the pectin? Ball recipe says 1C apple juice, 1 box no-sugar pectin to 5/14 lbs (! seems like a lot - but maybe this is 6-8C?) of berries to make "4-6 half pint jars".

Regular Sure-Jell recipe says 2 qts (how many cups?) of fruit to 7C sugar for 8 half-pints, I'm using 6C fruit and 4C sugar for half that, so no sense in even trying the Sure-Jell b/c it doesn't use any less sugar than I do normally.

I usually buy the "fruit-juice sweetened" jams/jellies for DS - he also needs "natural" PB, no sugar, no partially hydrogenated oils, just peanuts and sometimes salt, b/c he has a very delicate system.

Your original formula will work. Strictly speaking it's a spread rather than a jam due to the low sugar level.

It won't "jell" in the same way a conventional jam does, but it will thicken. The apple juice probably won't help with the jelling. A canned or processed juice just doesn't have that much pectin.

The mouthfeel of a low-sugar spread is different as is the appearance and, as already mentioned, the keeping qualities.

That doesn't mean it can't be very good but it has to be appreciated on its own terms.

Carol

Carol - you mean my "original" original? 6C fruit and 4C sugar? I know that will gel/thicken. Thanks for letting me know it's a spread - though I've labeled them all jam. That's the spreadable consistency I like, though some jars are a little stiffer (as is the jar of leftovers from all batches mixed together in fridge). Is 2/3 sugar to fruit ratio considered "low-sugar"? How long will that keep? I'd like to make lower-sugar if I can, don't mind using the no-sugar Ball pectin but the instructions are confusing saying the sugar (up to 3C!) is "optional" but apple juice is required?

Is 2/3 sugar to fruit ratio considered "low-sugar"? How long will that keep?

Yes it is very low. We use 1 cup with the Ball No-Sugar pectin. On the shelf? Maybe 3-4 months. In the fridge once opened, a couple of weeks.

but the instructions are confusing saying the sugar (up to 3C!) is "optional" but apple juice is required?

Not sure which part of the instruction sheet you are reading? The general jam instructions on the Ball enclosure don't require any apple juice and we have made a lot of different fruits with it and no apple juice at all - just fruit, the pectin, and however much sugar you want plus some lemon juice in the peach ones. The set all depends on how much liquid you have in the fruit. Let it macerate over nite in the fridge and there is usually plenty of juice. The Ball No-Sugar is kind of like Pomona in that it will jell water. ;)

Dave's wife via Dave ;)

I'm reading the back of the Ball no-sugar pectin box, it says apple juice is required.

So all the jam (except the first batch I did 1:1 ratio but didn't cook it long enough to gel) has to be used within 4 months (keep on shelf 3 months and another month in the fridge?)?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to the post which preceded mine which listed 6 cups of fruit to 1 cup of sugar+Splenda. I meant that was a spread as opposed to a jam.

If we were picky, the traditional definition of jam is that it has more sugar than fruit and has chunks or fruit pieces. But really, who cares? It only matters to people who're labeling these things for sale. If a particular proportion of fruit:sugar works for your family, call it a jam and eat it with pleasure.

The issues aren't with the nomenclature. It has to do as Dave said, with the keeping qualities of the final product and the setting properties of the mixture. Changing the fruit:sugar ratio can create difficulties which low-sugar commercial pectins are meant to eliminate.

I'm not familiar with Ball No-Sugar, but if as Dave says it's like Pomona (a low-methoxyl pectin) then you have a lot of latitude. It's the calcium that sets the preserve. You can use as much or little sweetener as you wish and it can be any sort of sweetener you find preferable.

There's been a lot less research into low-sugar preserves, so you just don't find as many recipes or as much guidance. Even if you don't use Pomona, if you use a pectin of the same type, there's value in visiting their website and checking out their small but helpful recipe section.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Pomona's Universal Pectin Recipes

Thanks for clarifying that Carol, I guess I do have jam ;-) But as Dave's wife says 2/3C of sugar per C (raw, not processed/crushed) fruit is low-sugar, I'm concerned that all the jam I just put up needs to be used w/i 4 months? I may not make any *lower* (no) sugar jam if that is the case since we will be eating a jar a week to use it all up! Just put a quart of berries on baking sheet in the freezer to add to the quart I have in a Ziploc there, another quart I picked yesterday in fridge to wash and freeze, but I have almost 2 quarts picked Sunday I *have* to use ASAP, don't know if I can freeze them if they're more than a couple days old?

I believe the jam will keep longer than that as long as the storage conditions are good. I find a year is doable as long as preserves aren't excessively low-sugar. It really becomes an issue, though, if the jams are stored, say in a garage where there may be extremes of heat and cold. But with a good seal and properly boiling water bath processed a low-sugar spread may last nearly as long as a full-sugar one.

However, once opened the refrigerated life is definitely shorter, which is the reason many low-sugar spreads are processed in smaller jars.

If you're uncomfortable with a possibility of a shorter shelf-life, do enough for 4-month consumption plus a jar or two to leave on the shelf longer as a test. Then freeze additional fruit and plan to make more jam later in the year.

Carol

Thanks - I've got a couple quarts of berries in the freezer now, but I've got something like 20 half-pint jars in the basement (stays 40-60 degrees all year round). Unless we eat a jar a week, I've got to give them away or take the chance that they won't last. I gave some away (and sold some extras to my cousin's wife), told them they'd keep a year but use by Xmas. That's 5 months (a little longer for first batch but that was full-sugar), probably not pushing it too much and I'm sure the single jars will be gone by then, but she bought a pint of full-sugar "sauce" and 2 half-pints of low-sugar "jam". Not sure the 2 of them will go through that much by the end of the year, and I have no idea what storage conditions for the unopened jar (assuming she opens the pint and one half pint right away and puts them in fridge) will be.

I agree, my low sugar/no sugar spreads keep in my basement for a year as long as they are properly sealed and processed. They only spoil more quickly after opening.

After all, they are fruit. People can fruit in water, no sugar at all, and process and keep them for longer periods, so why would cooked jam be much different?

As Carol mentioned, the stuff doesn't really jell, it just thickens, more like a fruit butter than a preserve. That's fine with me, the flavor is much nicer, but you should be aware....

Well, except Carol's pear preserves, those need to be preserves, and although I've cut the sugar down a bit, I make sure I keep enough that they stay true preserves, I just love the darned stuff.

Annie