# How Do You Make Simply Fruit Preserves?



## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I don't like jelly or jam that much becuse it has too much sugar in it,but would like some 'almost'sugar free preserves.No artificial sweetener either.

Any suggestions?


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't know what your definition of "almost no sugar" would be but I add almost no sugar to my fruit preserves. Last year I took about 10 qts of strawberries, added 1/4 cup of sugar and cooked them down to a consistancy that allows them to slightly mound up on a spoon. I ended up with about 8 pints of preserves.


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## Herbalpagan (Dec 8, 2008)

"long cook" recipes are out there, where the fruit is cooked much ,onger and requires much less sugar. The pectin we add makes the cooking process much shorter, but requires more sugar. Just cook the fruit until it's the consistancy you want adding less sugar. Many jams now require more sugar than fruit, the apple jam I make requires less than half the sugar as fruit.


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## Ur5hittingMe (May 1, 2011)

I use more apples or apple juice than sugar in some recipe. It doesnt thicken up as well as all sugar but I like it better.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> I don't know what your definition of "almost no sugar" would be but I add almost no sugar to my fruit preserves. Last year I took about 10 qts of strawberries, added 1/4 cup of sugar and cooked them down to a consistancy that allows them to slightly mound up on a spoon. I ended up with about 8 pints of preserves.


 Thanks. This sounds like what I mean by just a little sugar.

I waned to ask before I got started or even purchased the fruit.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Herbalpagan said:


> "long cook" recipes are out there, where the fruit is cooked much ,onger and requires much less sugar. The pectin we add makes the cooking process much shorter, but requires more sugar. Just cook the fruit until it's the consistancy you want adding less sugar. Many jams now require more sugar than fruit, the apple jam I make requires less than half the sugar as fruit.


 Thanks for info.I am learning lots of things at once now,and my attention span is'nt what it use to be.

So instead of reading a bunch of books I figured I ask yall.

I did check out an old book " Putting Food By" from library but have'nt looked at it yet. Authors;Janet Green,Ruth Hertzberg and Beatrice Vaughan


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

If you like apple butter you dont need much sugar for that. it thickens by cooking for a few hours.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

catsraven said:


> If you like apple butter you dont need much sugar for that. it thickens by cooking for a few hours.


Don't like apple butter but do like apple pies,cobblers and sauce.

I took the apples off tree yesterday and got 2 full quarts out of them.Not going to make pie crust,so will make a few pies from them when I buy them.

Its hard to grow apples here,they bloom,then a late frost gets them every single time,so few survive.


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