Thanks Carol :) I knew that someone here could help me out. I told her I would check in here and someone would know what to do.

Stacie

That happened to me this year, my first time making freezer jam. Who can't make freezer jam? Me, apparently. Mine didn't set, in addition to being gritty. Was this a problem with hers?

To fix it, I dumped it all into a pot, added a package of no-sugar-needed pectin, brought the thawed runny gritty mess to a boil, and it set like a charm, with no more grittiness.

Just for future reference, the crystal problem is apparently caused by sugar not being stirred into the jam and thoroughly dissolved before the mixture is brought to a boil. This is what I've read in "The Joy of Jams, Jellies and other Sweet Preserves" by Zeidrich.

So following this advice from the book, I first bring the fruit and pectin to a boil, then remove from the heat and let it cool just enough to stop boiling. Add the sugar, stir in thoroughly (wipe down the sides of the pot to get any stray sugar crystals off), and return to heat to get back to a full rolling boil. So far following this method, I've had no problems with sugar crystals in my jellies.

1. If the fruit mixture is still cold when the sugar is added, crystals can form.

2. If the fruit and sugar mixture is not gently warmed to dissolve before boiling, crystals can form.

3. If the recipe has too much sugar or not enough acid, crystals can form.

4. If crystals form on the side of the pan and are then stirred into the jam, the mixture will crystalize.

The same rules apply for jam as for candy-making. Basically there are a hundred ways for the process to go wrong.

Carol

Thank you for this post!!

I made mistakes, experimented tried to make ginger marmalade and though I've had success making orange marmalade without using pectin or lemon, my attempt making ginger marmalade crystallized. Learned to add lemon juice, corn syrup, and to gently add sugar allowing to melt slowly after having boiled fruit to tender state but much more. I am trying to save my crystallized ginger marmalade. Ugh

It isn't always the case that it's simply undissolved or recrystallized sugar.

If you taste one of the grains.. If it's really sweet, it's sugar. If it isn't and can even be very bitter, it's undissolved pectin that has gelled to itself like a grain of chia.

There are instanced of pectin that require calcium not dissolving in the presence of too much sugar, too quickly in the recipe.

Lower sugar pectins suffer from this problem. I discovered and looked into it a lot when a regular sugar jelly we make had a grainy and liquidy, despite being the exact same recipe.

Reboiling (in this instance) at a very high heat for a few minutes helped a lot, but didn't really fix it entirely.

The solution is to dissolve the pectin into any other low sugar liquids along with the fruit, before adding the sugar.

Just another one of many things it can be I guess. :)

I have made freezer jam countless times and this is the first time it turned out grainy. I think the pectin was old. I salvaged it by heating each container of jam in the microwave on power 4 for two to three minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until all sugar dissolved. No need to worry about removing sugar grains on the sides as it heats from the outside first.

The jam didn't boil, so it retained it's fresh flavor. Also, I didn't need to empty the jam into a bowl or pan and then refill the containers. An easy fix!

Good to know since I frequently make freezer jams.

How do the methods for making freezer jam without cooking do? The only thing in the recipe cooked was the pectin and water. Of course it’s sugary, now what? I haven’t put it in jars yet. Hoping it magically changes

I discovered that my wild strawberry jam has crystals. I added 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 1 tbsp. of corn syrup and simmered it for approx. 15 mimutes and kept checking it by dipping a small spoon in; feeling it between my fingers; then my tongue to make sure it was not seeds that I was feeling and just bottled this one cup jar making sure it was a clean hot; seal and ring hot. Keeping my fingers crossed as I had made 12 one cup bottles and that was a lot of picking but relaxing. But have decided to redo it as I use it as it is as it is fruit cake making time. Thanks for your help!