I just made splenda peach jam about a week ago. It is fantastic. I'll warn you tho someone here blasted me for making jam this way. I did a lot of research tho. And have several diabetic friends who make jam this way also. I also made Rhubarb jam earlier in the Spring. Here goes:

10 Cups of Peaches (peeled)
1 cup of water
1 Cup of splenda (or more to taste)
1TB lemon juice
2 packages knox gelatin or two packets of SF peach jello
In large sauce pan stir together peaches, water and splenda.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Simmer for 15 minutes
Remove from heat and stir is jello and lemon juice.
Keep refrigerated.
I boiled all my jars and lids.
Hope this helps and please ignore those that will say it's not safe etc. I found my Rhubarb recipe like this on the kraft food website and on several other websites. Enjoy I sure do! btw I made 22 jars of peach jam.

Splenda even though its a 'fluffed up' product when packaged in the big bags, can be used to make any kind of sugarless jellies and jams. There is also the tiny packets of granulated, which are not measured the same, as their particle size is much smaller. If you do use no sugar, and attempt to make the jelly/jam without an added pectin, it probably not set. The use of Pomona pectin, as mentioned in MANY RECENT message threads is about the best, and fail safe way to make any jelly/jam without sugar. I have even gelled water with the Pomona pectin! When using Splenda in pickle making, like most all vinegar based types, use a LOT less of it, as cup for cup, it will not give the same sweetness as sugar. Instead, the same amount of Splenda instead of sugar can more than quadruple its sweetening taste when added to an acidic vinegar brine. I use maybe a cup or two at most for a 7 quart batch of sweet mixed pickles and its been really good. Any more than that, its a bit too 'off' tasting. Also, because some sugarless jellies tend to lose 'character', as well as spoil a bit quicker, I like to add a little extra acid in the form of Malic, Tarteric, and Citric, so that it enhances the fruits flavor. My taste buds are not like they used to be, so I can usualy tell if I will like the outcome better if I add the extra acid blend. As mentioned in many other RECENT THREADS these items have already been discussed in great length, with links and all the rest of what I have just repeated. Finally, if you an tolerate Fructose sugar as opposed to a refined cane product, you an also use a little honey, or some frozen juice concentrate without adding any water. These items will lend more richness and sweetness, but at a higher, but more natural way to sweeten.

In the recipe above the use of 'Jello' or ANY animal based byproduct that is made into gelatin is NOT safe to use for jellies. All of these gelatines are protein based, and can contribute to the feeding and care of very unfriendly bacteria. Once the jar is opened it will degrade very fast and could become toxic once its exposed to just plain air for just a few minutes. They do bacterial lab cultures using gelatin as the growing medium!! I would stay away from gelatin unless your only wanting a fresh fruit mold for a dessert. Adding to this, no sugar, and the higher than normal Oxalic acid contained in rhubarb can also cause kidney issues. Trust me, diabetics are hit not only by uncontrollable sugar issues, but kidney failure is next. At the present time, after a 3 day stay in the hospital, kidney biopsy and now steroids (prednisone), I am forced to deal with the next failure level of diabetes. Insulin doses have now more than doubled what I used to inject even two months ago.
I would NOT ignore this warning as bp_farmgal has indicated. If you read through most all of the CURRENT home canning books and thousands of recipes, you will only find a small handful that can provide a 'quick' gelatin based product that is NOT suitable for jelly making/canning. In my 40+ years, I have never used any gelatin in anything being canned except a pressure canning for a meat, and my mom was making jams before I was around in the early 1940's, and her recipes had no mention of gelatin unless it was with fruits and served as a dessert. Gelatin is simply NOT a substitute for pectin, which is a natural PLANT BASED product.

ok so i can do low sugar and add extra pectin? lets say it asks for 5 cups of sugar and im just guessing.. and i add maybe 1-2 cups instead and add extra pectin will that do? my hub is a type 1 and he would eat something with lower sugar like the smuckers low sugar (not no sugar) and just not eat a lot of it. so i wouldn't mine reproducing that and not going into the fake sugars or splendas.

bela67 You can make the jam just as I typed it. I've done it before. I have many diabetic friends that do it and I have seen many recipes that do it. I have no clue why ksrogers keeps giving me a hard time here. I'm diabetic and the jam jells fantastic so I know what I'm talking about. I have even sent this jam to many of my diabetic friends. They all love it. So in no way is it unsafe. I even made Rhubarb jam this way. I'm not stupid to give out unsafe recipes or advice I have not done myself. The only thing I have done is replace the sugar for splenda and less of it. Period.

bp_farmgal-

I am also a long time diabetic with MANY years of canning knowledge. IN NONE of my canning reaserch has there ever been a safely canned jelly or jam that uses plian gelatin, Jello, or Knox, or any other ANIMAL BASED gelatin which is PROTEIN. You seem intent on recommending GELATIN in jelly canning. Its NOT SAFE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. For a beginner canner, its even more risky and can cause a failure to set long term at the least. You are simply playing Russian Roulette with canning safety. Many times, you can never see these toxins inside a jar.

Adding more pectin to a low/no sugar jelly will not work, unless the pectin is a low/no sugar type. Ball, Certo(?), and Sure Gel make these types. They still rely on a chemical to set up under the heat of boiling, and have a tendency to get 'weapy' once opened. The Pomona pectin uses a tiny amount of calcium to set the gel as its a pectin that is CITRUS BASED. Its use in the sugar free (diabetic) jelly making is invaluable, for ALL diabetics, type 1 or 2. Trust me, when I see a single poster that has offered no valid substantial proof for gelatin used in jelly CANNING, and only has friends and relatives that say its great that way, I don't doubt it may be. But its simply NOT to the current canning safety standards we need to follow today. With so many new illnesses, diseases, and airborne bacteria (some few years back Legionaire's Disease- remember) They had to invent a new antibiotic strong enough to kill this tough one, and that was extremely difficult to kill off, why risk your health? If you look back through this Harvest forum, you would soon realize that when I stick to my defense and say something is unsafe, its unsafe, plain and simple. With MANY years of canning and the knowledge of canning commercially, I do know quite a lot too, and do not ant to risk anyones health by RECOMMENDING an unsafe, and untestd recipe.

Ever tried making Mayonaise and canning it? I am sure you have seen store bought in plastic jars, and wonder how they can process it. Its got eggs and oil, the two strikes, and if canned at home will not give a VERY UNSAFE product. I will not supply the solution here, but it has to do with not allowing any air into the mixture when its being made.

i didn't mean to start war! ok so i need pomona pectin which means ill have to find it i know my kroger grocery doesn't carry it. will they have a recipe for peach jam? im still unclear on a good recipe without sugar or low sugar. we like the fruit flavor better than the sweet flavor. what about acid? do i need to add lemon or citric? i do want to make peach salsa which i have a recipe for but i don't have a good tried and true lower sugar peach jam recipe. i do want to be safe i am super paranoid about it all, no offense to anyone i just don't know all the scientific rules about it all.

Ok for PEACH and and any other OXIDIZING fruits, I recommend using some ASCORBIC ACID added to the jelly. This helps to keep that nice peach color the way it should be. My two year old apricot is still q very broht orange color. If there was no ascorbic in there, it would be dark brown. If you make this and the jars are stored even in total darkness and out or harms way, they do turn BROWN! Ugh! Pomona is sold at many natural food stores. Don't have Kroger around here, but if its anything like our Stop&Shop and Shaw's, they have even less. Heck I love frozen pineapple juice, and neither carries it anymore. Pomona pectin is also available direct from the maker in Western Mass from their web site, or like I said most nature food stores. The added acid is only needed, if at once cooked and ready to put in the pectin, you find that the batch has a minimal flavor. Peaches vary in taste and texture, from dry mealy to hard, ultra sour, to sweet and very juicy. They can also be difficult to peel and de-stone if they are clings. The seeds need to be cut away and use care near the stem as there is a little hard 'flag' of seed shell that can get missed. Sharp at an end, ouch!. The citric alone is fine for an added acid, but if you don't have enough taste left once they are cooking, but thats up to you. Also, I mentioned that because these sugarless ones can spoil easier, once opened, its nice to have a bit more acid sour in there from the start. As mentioned, I like to have a bit more boldness, so I go for the acid blend that I buy at a wine making supply store. The three acids mentioned are more natural in that they are are all found in fruit juices to some degree. Peach salsa is a bit different, if there is no other acid added. Peppers, onions and spices offer little to none, so lime juice or lemon juice is great, or even cider vinegar. There are many recipes here for many kinds of salsa. I also think there may be several peach variable types jams, all of which can be subbed for the proper pectin and no sugar or a substitute. The Pomona pectin is the key. Not cheap, and a bit more than the cost of regular pectins, but with a single box of Pomona you can make up to 30 half pints as a SINGLE batch! Other pectins can't do that or be doubled. There is a necessary small packet of calcium carbonate in the Pomona box thats mixed with a 1/4 cup or water. They give you more than enough, so I make big batches and pour in the whole calcium packet/water mix. Less than one minute later it starts to thickly coat the spoon, so its ready to go into jars.
Good luck!

Enjoy YOUR forum....I'm out of here...And I will enjoy my JAM the way it is.

Geeze, try and teach new people some basic facts in food canning safety for home canning. Looks like we might have a critcal patient in emergency room some day if food poisoning hits? Its not MY forum, but I do try my bst to give honest and knowledgable help for anyone here asking for it. I am not a fighter and will only stick to my beliefs as they are taught to me in my years. Wisdom doesn't come easy and quick either. Sorry of this was too much for that faint of heart. If my Polish grandmother used gelatin in a home made jelly, it was not done in this country, and I was around for a few years even when my Polish grandfather was still running his bakery in Springfield VT. Thats where I learned all about picking brines..!

Hi Bela67,

I made my first and only batch of peach jam with sugar and regular pectin back in the late 60's. I also made a batch of plum jam around the same time, my first adventures in jams. Well, the plum turned out really good. The peach turned out to be a syrup, but a really tasty syrup. LOL! I am thinking about doing some peach preserves this year, but since both my DH and I are diabetic, I'll be using Splenda and Pomona Pectin as I have in the others I've done and they have turned out just perfect. With Splenda you don't need to use anywhere near as much as sugar, just enough to sweeten to your personal taste. I think I usually use 1 cup or so. Have fun and you might want to try the apple pie jam on here. My DH really liked it.

Just found this forum. What a great resource!

I was also looking for a similar sugar-free recipe for the peaches ripening on my counter, so I did a little research.

It seems the USDA doesn't recommend canning with gelatin though they don't say why. Here's the link and a quote from the USDA's website: http://standeyo.com/News_Files/Food/USDA_canning_guide/Chapter7.pdf

MAKING REDUCED-SUGAR FRUIT SPREADS

When gelatin is used in the recipe, the jars of spread should not be processed. They should be refrigerated and used within 4 weeks.

The Splenda website has several good-looking canning recipes for peach jam using Splenda and "low methoxyl pectin with calcium." Can't wait to make some for my brother who is diabetic. The Splenda is usually stirred in after the fruit is boiled, but before the hot water bath.

KSrogers, I do respect and envy your years of canning and preserving, but I don't agree with your reasons. There are proteins in everything from peaches to grapes and strawberries. Also, curds contain egg and dairy proteins and are successfully canned at home.

Protien is many differnt things and amounts. It add a a nearlyt pure form of protein to a jelly is not something a home canner would want to do if the jars are stored on shelves. I never have seen any commercially makde jellies, jams or other fruit spreads that contain any gelatine. Many times the USDA may not comment, but that isn't to be a way to say that is ok to use it, only that they offer no factual data. If my great grandma used it and never got sick an dthe USDA recommends it use today, an dnoone can get sick, then maybe its fine. But with home canning being as less a test in homes today, and with all the risk takers out there handed down from ancestors, I just don't feel its a justified as a defence to just post recipes that a are hand-me-downs and generations old. Who knows how many people make have been sick or died from these things as many never get reported ever. Please, just play it safe, stick to TODAYS recipes and the ones that are most recently published, researched well, and are virtually foolproof and safe for everyone. Admittedly, I am a risk taker too, but with this kind of component originating from an animal based bypoduct, we can't assume its always going to be safe for use everywhere. Gelatin was also used in surgery, lighting, and photo work. Originally Eastman was the biggest producer an user. I don't know if Eastman, or Eastman Kodak would be making jelly using gelatin?? A reduce or no sugar sprread can be MUCH easier, and MUCH SAFER to make if the proper and far safer ingredients are used. Pomona (ALSO LOW METHOXYL!! with the seperate calcium packet included) has been around a long time and is the most commonly used pectin for use in the low, no sugar jellies, jams and other thickened spreads . After that comes, modified food starches, which are now also offered to home canners by National Starch, and is commonly known as Clear Jel, and also many other more specific commercially used starches.. Its use today, as far outweighed the very negative use of flour, tapioca, regular cornstarch, or other less table thickeners.

I made this Low Sugar Raspberry Jam yesterday and it turned out perfectly.
The SureJel recipe called for 7 cups sugar to 5 cups mashed fruit!

Low Sugar Raspberry Jam
5 cups mashed black raspberries (not in blender, hand mashed)
1 cup cold water
2 cups sugar (you could try one cup, I prefer not to use diet sugar but less REAL sugar)
3 pkg Knox gelatin.

Stir all together....bring to rolling boil and boil one
minute. Turn burner off and let set on it until lukewarm.

Put into jars. Refrigerate as it needs to 'set up' and be kept cold since it has gelatin in it.

This jam has much less carbs and calories than regular jam.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0708204110232.html

how about using flavored kool aid instead of jello? also use sure jell or certo for thickening agent? please email reply to above email address.

Geez. Just wanted to say there is a ton of very good info here and a few great recipes and ideas. To be fair, the woman with the rhubarb recipe?? Did say REFRIGERATE not process. She said she boiled her jars, but everyone should do that, even with refrigerator jams. Any gelatin based ANYTHING has to be refrigerated. So. The whole argument here was because folks skim and don't really read.

Thanks to ALL for the info.

I started using Pomona Pectin last summer as I do over 300 jars of jams and jellies each year (I sell them at farmer's market's). I found that Pomona works great with no sugar, low sugar, honey or full sugar and they give recipes and instructions for many fruits. When I didn't have clear instructions for making one of my staple recipes I called the help # for Pomona - they returned my call, worked on their adjustment and Called me back AGAIN! Excellent product backed by excellent customer service. I found Pomona pectin at an AKINS natural food store and thought it was expensive at $5 a box but when I realized that would do 5 batches like a box of Ball pectin I was sold. I now order it in bulk from the Pomona pectin site and couldn't be happier. The other discovering I have found is that in using honey I am using less than 1/3 of the amount of sugar and people like the taste better than sugar. Something to try if you aren't sold on Splenda like me.

I make jam and jelly with Jello all the time with no problems. Am I missing something? I don't understand all the negative comments...

Pomona is not the only low/no sugar pectin. If you have an Amish community, they use a Dutch Lite Jell, which works really well.

Not really low-sugar (she didn't test Ball's No/Low Sugar pectin), but just to compare taste and yield,FYI.

Here is a link that might be useful: Linda Z's blog - pectin comparisons

Can u freez This

Is it OK to freeze this