Every year I have a garden. I am very proud of my garden, but raspberries is just one of those things that I can't grow. (Unless you count the very small handful I'm able to get.) Luckily, my in-laws are able to produce buckets and buckets of raspberries.
I started a tradition two years ago of making sugar-free raspberry-jalapeno jam. Yes, you heard that right! Raspberries and Jalapenos! I love to make this jam because it is so versatile. You can put it on your toast, your bagel, with your cream cheese spread, even on your eggs!
The recipe is pretty simple, although I don't think I'm going to divulge the whole thing. (Recipes are supposed to be secret right?) It does include sugar-free pectin. I generally just buy this from the store but I decided to research pectin further. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in fruits. Some fruits have a high pectin level, some have a low level. The product Pectin, can be made from boiling fruits and sugar together. The perfect pectin has a careful balance of fruit, sugar, and acid. Pectin is used as a thickening agent for jams and jellies. I use a sugar-free version which can be made from boiling immature apples or crab apples with water and lemon juice. The sugar-free version of pectin is natural and perfectly safe to use (unless you have an allergy to apples or corn). It is great to use in your jams or jellies because it allows you to make your jam with less sugar. My raspberry jalapeno jelly is made with Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar.
After researching pectin, I feel good about using this product. I was worried that I was going to find ridiculous chemicals or production methods that would put me off from this product but there is not! Very rarely is anything added to pectin with the exception of citric acid or dextrose, which are used as binders. I often use citric acid in canning for shelf preservation. The research I did on pectin had an added bonus of helping me to learn alternative methods of making pectin if I ever do decide to steer away from commercial pectin.
"How to make your own Pectin for use in homemade jam and jelly." Pick Your Own. July 17, 2015.
"Notes about pectin for making homemade jam." Pick Your Own. July 17, 2015.
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