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 are a few ways to brandy pears, not owning the ball blue book I don't know which one you have if you are adding brandy then the alcohol (36%Â60% alcohol by volume) should protect you, nothing that can harm you can grow in anything with an alcohol content above 5% (so long as 1/4th of the total volume of the final container is filled with brandy you are golden), so you can replace the sugar with a substitute of your choice or simply discard some of the syrup before mixing with brandy and packing the jars. You can also use brandy extract, in which case I don't have an answer for you (my background is biology, not canning) but I would imagine it would be safe to add brandy extract to an already safe low/no-sugar pear recipe if such a thing exists. Finally there are some "Brandied" fruit recipes that involve adding yeast (a champagne or fruit wine yeast) to a brandy extract, water, fruit, and sugar mixture, if this is what you are doing then you cannot take away the sugar because the yeast need something to eat, it can be difficult to start this process and adding brandy in the very beginning is probably the best way to get in the 5% ABV range and avoid any competition for the sugars from bacterial or wild yeast strains that can produce off flavors. The last can be very fun, but can also produce a product capable of taking you by surprise.

The low sugar pectin should be fine. The recipe already calls for less than regular pectin. You might give it a try and see if you like the flavor. Another option is Pomona Pectin. You can totally control the amount of sugar since it isn't required for the set. It won't make a clear jelly, but fig isn't anyway! Some say they can taste a "chalky" texture, but I don't have any problem with it and I like being able to make sugar free jam and jelly. Deanna

I haven't tried your suggestion, but this recipe from the Country Women's Cookbook (NSW Australia) might appeal to you: PEAR MARMALADE 6lb pears 4 sweet oranges 1 lemon 6lb sugar 3 cups water Cut up lemon and oranges finely. Put into a bowl, cover with the water and leave overnight. Next day peel pears, cut them finely, put them in the bowl with the oranges and lemon, add sugar and let stand overnight. Next day boil gently for 1-2 hours, or until pears are soft and yellow.