North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>]

Anthony:

It's not so much a question of the recipe as the type of pectin you use.  The 
Sure-Jell and Certo types require a great deal of sugar to jell.  Try 
Pomona's Pectin, a low-methoxyl pectin derived from citrus peels, that will 
jell with very low sugar, with artificial sweeteners, or no sugar at all.  
You can find it online, or at many health food stores.  Some of the major 
brands also offer low-sugar pectin now, but I don't think any of them can 
compare with the reliability of Pomona's.  If you do use Pomona's, it will 
jell using only 2/3 the amount of pectin recommended on the insert.  We have 
been using this stuff for years, and you can use so little to jell 
successfully that it ends up being considerably cheaper than other types.

Keep in mind as you make low-sugar jellies that sugar acts as a preservative 
in these products, and as you use less the shelf life becomes shorter before 
the jelly can begin to turn color or lose quality.  We generally use about 
1/2 the usual amount of sugar, and find this adequate for keeping jellies in 
a cool location for about two years, after water bath canning and sealing.  
The flavor of the low-sugar jellies is, of course, far superior to the nearly 
pure sugar preparations.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA