North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>]

You'll need to use a low-methoxyl pectin (available in health food stores or
online, the common brand is Pomona's), or a gelatin-based recipe.   Below is
a lm pectin recipe.  Regular pectin needs granular sucrose to set up - other
sweeteners won't work.  LM pectin works with a dicalcium phosphate solution.
The Dicalcium phosphate and instructions are included in the package.  

Jams and jellies made without sugar will just not keep as well.  They need
the additional microbial protection of a boiling water bath, or they should
be kept frozen.  They keep about 3 weeks refrigerated after opening.  

Usually one makes a jelly from currants, not a jam.  With a vitamix or other
high-powered blender you can make a "whole jelly" - kinda a jam/jelly
preserve - by blending the currants with a little apple juice until they are
liquid.  Otherwise, juice the currants with a steam juicer or crush (for
this recipe) 4 1/2 quarts of currants, add 1½ cups cups water, cover and
simmer 10 minutes, then strain through a jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined
colander.

Your ingredients are: 6 1/2 cups of juice, 3 1/4 cup of dry lm pectin, 1 cup
maple syrup, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 6 1/2 teaspoons dicalcium
phosphate solution.

Stir the pectin into the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time. Combine the
fruit juices in a large wide-bottom stainless steel or enamel pan.  Boil.
Stir in the syrup-pectin mixture and bring to a full boil - one that won't
stir down.  Immediately stir is the calcium solution and remove from heat.  

Test the jelly.  Dip a cold metal spoon in the jelly and pour the jelly,
raise it up a foot - out of the steam - and pour the jelly it picks up back.
If the jelly is done, 2 drops should form off the spoon, merge together, and
come down in a sheet.  Or put some jelly in a small cool dish and
refrigerate for 3 minutes.  If it jiggles, it's done. I like that method
because you end up with some jelly to taste.  And with this recipe, you
should taste.  The maple syrup may be overpowering or may not sweeten
enough; or the jelly could be too sweet.  Add sugar to bring up the
sweetness, lemon juice to bring it down. 

If the jelly is too thin, add a little more calcium solution.  Too thin, add
some fruit juice.  

You can cut this recipe in half.

I have zero guarantees with this recipe.  The pectin is reliable, and it
should set just fine.  The syrup and berries can vary in sweetness and
intensity.  Most of the time you'll get a great batch first time out.  Often
you'll need to adjust a little, and this recipe can handle more adjusting
than a sugar and pectin based one.  Rarely people will produce a failed
batch if they're just starting to preserve, but will make appropriate
adjustments next time out.  My big concern with this recipe is the maple
syrup sweetening enough.  I would bring up sweetness (if necessary, as I
said, with sugar, not more maple syrup.  You don't want to lose the
brightness of the fruit flavors - sugar is good at maintaining flavor
integrity.

Let me know how it goes.  

Stephen Sadler, Ph.D.
USDA 9, AHS heat zone 8, 
Sacramento CA - Mediterranean climate,

Nursing the two-dozen wasp stings I got in the garden Monday...


-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of lee reich
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 7:52 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Clove currant ideas

Anybody have a good recipe for clove currant jam, one that's easy to  
make (I can grow fruits, but am not very good at cooking them). I  
have a lot of maple syrup; is it possible to use that to make the jam?

Lee Reich, PhD
www.leereich.com