This thread is 14 years old, so probably too late, LOL. However, I must disagree with the best strawberries being from Florida or Texas or where ever. I think the best berries come from where you live. Local produce isn't picked green and shipped for thousands of miles to end up here in Michigan (or Ohio, or Vermont or whatever) hard as a rock and white in the middle. They are not the hybrid types who are made to be sturdy enough to ship and handle. They are good, fresh, old fashioned berries that must be used quickly before the quality deteriorates. Those are the ones that are fresh, sweet, juicy and flavorful, no matter where you live. The problem, of course, is that here in Michigan strawberry season lasts only a few weeks. There are pick your own farms everywhere, and then they are gone until next year. That's when you are either fortunate enough to have put some in the freezer or already made your jam, or you are relegated to the styrofoam imposters that have been shipped halfway around the world, or across the country. Put them right next to those commercially available tomatoes, which have the flavor and texture of the plastic tray they are packaged in. Annie

They are 2 very different compounds, both organic, but with differing effects on food and very different purposes. Ascorbic is a food preserver - primarily color - while imparting no acidic taste and does not change the pH of the food nor does it have any antimicrobial properties. Citric acid is a natural food acidifier in that it changes the actual pH of the food as well as the taste. So when drying food it is the color/appearance of the food you want to preserve. But citric is required when ever you need to increase the acid pH of the food. Citric acid is also a natural antioxident, antimicrobal, and germicidal which is why you often see it in cleaning solutions. Not that we want to scrub down the kitchen counters with our tomato juice. ;) They cannot be used interchangeably in canning/home preserving. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Are Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid Twins?

I've mentioned this before. I use an acid blend that has a mixture of different acids. I find that jellies and such are more complex in tastes, and require more of a balanced acid. The blends are bought through wine making suppliers, and are a blend of malic, citric, and tarteric. All of which make for a very tasty, and safe jam or jelly. My jellies never taste like lemon, unless its one made of citrus fruits. Lime juice is also an option. Using fresh, will not give you the same acidity as bottled.

I'm another non-fan of Pomona's for the reason Robin mentioned, but it does have its advocates and only you can decide which camp you fall into. Non-commercial pectin jams use less sugar than commercial pectin jams but a certain amount of sugar is necessary to assure a jell. It's a fine balance of fruit, sugar and acid. Cutting the sugar is possible but at some point the mixture will either not jell or you'll evaporate out the water and end up with a thick viscous mixture like tar. Annie routinely reduces the sugar in something like pear preserves; with each batch she reduced more until she hit a point where it wasn't possible to further reduce and get even a soft set. But since each batch of fruit varies (especially from season to season) with traditional preserving there's always an element of "mystery" as to how the preserves will respond. You can improve the odds by adding citrus pulp and seeds, as Robin mentioned. You can also make your own natural citrus or apple pectin base. And yes, you can definitely experiment with assurance of safety as long as you avoid the low-acid peppers and such. You can do a simple (and cheap) alcohol test to determine the pectin level of the fruit in any given batch. I usually don't bother unless I'm developing a new recipe and working with fruit that has marginal pectin. A search online will bring up lots of sites that explain how to do it, but you can also ask here if you're interested. You can also get a refractometer or jelmeter, which will help you measure the sugar in the fruit. Knowing the level of natural sugar helps you determine how much additional sugar is needed. Jelmeters are no longer manufactured, though Jamlady mentions them. But they do occasionally turn up on ebay. They were in common use during WWII because women making preserves could then reduce the sugar. Lee Valley Tools sells a refractometer. But that probably goes beyond what you want to get into right now. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Refractometer