5 Tips for Making Delicious Jam and Jelly This Summer
— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
During the summer I usually get a few calls from frustrated preservers asking why their jam or jelly didn’t come out right. It’s annoying to try and make a nice, spreadable jam and instead end up with something that’s too runny or too thick. There are many reasons your jam or jelly could fail to set up or overset, from using overripe fruit to even the weather that day! So if you’ve ever had your jam or jelly not turn out the way you want, read on for some tips to make sure you end up with perfectly preserved fruit jams and jellies.
1. Use the right pectin.
I often hear from people who want to use less sugar when making jam or jelly. Traditionally, jam recipes are made with equal parts fruit and sugar, or sometimes even more sugar than fruit! While grandma’s full-sugar jam sure is delicious, nowadays, many people are looking to use less sugar or sugar substitutes when making jam. The solution is to use an added pectin that is specifically formulated to use less sugar. Some pectins even work with honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, synthetic sugar substitutes or fruit juice concentrate.
One thing you can’t do is use a pectin that requires a lot of sugar, but just opt to add less sugar. Doing so could result in your jam or jelly failing to set. So find the right low-sugar pectin and follow the recipe exactly as written. Look to Ball, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, or recipes included with pectin for a reliable recipe for fruit jams, jellies, and preserves.
2. Make sure the pectin isn’t expired.
Some pectins expire, so check the package to make sure it’s still good before you start jamming. Expired pectin could fail to set, so don’t buy more than you’ll use in a year and make sure it’s good before you check out at the store. Certain brands of pectin, like Pomona’s Pectin, do not expire, so you don’t have to worry about that one.
3. Use a candy thermometer.
If you are making a jam or jelly without using any added pectin, you will need to boil the fruit and sugar until it reaches the “set point” at 220°F. If you don’t reach that required temperature, your jam or jelly won’t set. But if you heat it too much, your jam or jelly will overset and be thick and gummy. So it’s important to get the temperature just right when making a traditional no-added pectin jam or jelly.
A long-stemmed candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pot will help you monitor the jam’s temperature while it’s boiling. Another way to know that the jam is starting to thicken is to look for it to start sheeting off the side of the spoon, rather than dripping like syrup does. More tips about making jam and jelly without added pectin can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
If you’re adding pectin to your jam or jelly, you do not need to worry about the temperature or testing for doneness.
4. Don’t worry about “fruit float” or separation.
Many people check in with us at UMaine Extension to ask about why their jam looks separated after it’s been canned. It’s most noticeable with strawberry and peach jam as the pieces of fruit float up to the surface of the jam while the jam is still warm. Once it cools and sets up, the fruit is gelled in place in a layer on top of the jam. This isn’t a safety concern, but some people find it a little unsightly. I just recommend stirring the jam once you open it, so the fruit is more evenly distributed in the jar. You may see recommendations to invert or gently swirl the jar right after canning it to prevent fruit float, but we don’t recommend moving the jars while they are cooling down. So let the jars cool undisturbed after they come out of the canner and just give the jam a stir before serving it.
5. Don’t try to double a recipe.
Often people think they can just double a recipe, wanting a big batch of jam from the same amount of work. But if you try to double a recipe or make more than 10 cups of jam at a time, you run the risk of the jam not setting. This is because big batches take longer to boil and cook and extended heating can break down the pectin molecules. So don’t try to double the recipe, rather make two separate batches (at the same time, if you can safely monitor both) and can or freeze them. For more information about preserving jams, watch our short video on canning strawberry jam or our longer webinar on canning jams and jellies.
These tips should help your jams and jellies turn out well this summer. If all else fails and you do end up with a runny jam or jelly, just tell people it’s fruit syrup and that it’s great on pancakes or ice cream. They’ll be none the wiser!
No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.