# Wrong Pectin!



## MissQueenie (Feb 15, 2006)

I made a dumb mistake. About a month ago, I ran out and grabbed a small jar of pectin -- I must not have even looked at the label because I pulled it out today to make jam and it is for FREEZER JAM. Says it in pretty good sized letters, too. :smack

My question is: can I use this to make cooked jam (blackberry jam and plum jam)? Is there a formula for substituting it (less, more, etc) in a cooked jam recipe, or do I just need to go out and buy the right kind?


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I did the same thing - meant to grab a jar of no-sugar and ended up with no-cook freezer jam instead. At least I got in on sale for about $2 so it won't be too much waste if I need to give it away as I never make freezer jam.


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## lemonthyme7 (Jul 8, 2010)

We must all be shopping quickly - I got the same freezer jam pectin! I took it back to store and got my money back because I wasn't sure if it would work-plus I wanted it for jelly not jam. Maybe someone else will know if it would have worked. The ingredients read the same but I just wasn't sure.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

lemonthyme7 said:


> plus I wanted it for jelly not jam.


I've never heard of pectin for jelly. How does it differ from jam pectin?


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## MissQueenie (Feb 15, 2006)

I feel so much better that I'm not the only one who did this. Maybe Ball should consider making the important part of the label (ie: the type of pectin/intended use) larger -- it's hard to read small stuff with a screaming toddler hanging off of you 

Guess I'm making blackberry freezer jam this year.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

There is no difference in pectin for jam or jelly. However I've never heard of a "freezer jelly" recipe.

I had a basket filled with boxes and I though it was mostly pectin. Pulled it down and looked at it, and found many of the boxes in there are Jello! The boxes are about the same size and got all tossed together when we moved stuff around. I've just been reaching in and pulling out boxes until I got what I wanted, and didn't realize most of the pectin was gone.

I did get a jar of No-sugar. Made a big batch, was suppose to be 10 - 1/2 pints but I ended up with 8. I think it's way too firm, so I'm going to try adding less pectin per fruit. It called for 1.5 Tbsp per 1.3cups chopped fruit. That also resulted in using over half the jar for one batch. I'm going to try making up some jam and only use 1 Tbsp and see how that sets up. I like my jam to have a bit of a run to it, this stuff is more like jello - if you scoop out a hole, the hole stays there.


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## deb_rn (Apr 16, 2010)

The sure jell brand is good for cooked, freezer, jams and jellies. One box...you can make anything you want. I've never used the ball brand.

Debbie


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I still have not been able to figure out exactly how the no- cook freezer jam sets, and if it would be OK to cook that type pectin. I've learned a lot about the different types of pectin though, rather interesting. . .

The sure jell for Freezer jam is still a COOKED pectin - you have to activate it in boiling water before mixing with fruit, that is the same with any cooked pectin used to make freezer jam. (I opened up a box to read the instructions).

With the no-cook type, there is no heat involved to activate the pectin - the question is what would happen if you did heat it? I don't store any jam in the freezer, and don't know if BWB would "ruin" the pectin or make no difference. 

I also have some Dutch set pectin from the Hutterite store (like Amish but they use power) but it's a heat/sugar activated pectin. I've never found Pomona at any stores around here, and I've been looking for two years. 

I'm also trying to figure out if there is a reason to sometimes use liquid vs powder, or if that is just the way a particular recipe was written. So far all the pepper jellies I've found require liquid, but I don't know if that is because most of them are a modification of another recipe that used liquid, or if there is some reason why peppers require using liquid to get them to set.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Macy - University of California extension has a recipe similar to Habanero Gold that uses a powdered pectin. So it is possible to use powdered pectin with peppers. I kinda used that recipe this year, and my jam set just fine.

I'm kinda at the point in my life where I rarely follow a recipe for jam. I read many of those artisan jam cookbooks - to get ideas for flavor combinations. But in the end, I typcially will use 6-7 cups of fruit with 6-7 cups of sugar and a box of powdered pectin or my homemade apple pectin. I'll throw in some lemon juice to aid in gelling. The only time I follow a recipe is when low acid fruits are involved - this year that was tomato jam and habanero gold. I will admit that I do have my share of "failures" - as in jam that does not fully set. But it has always been soft jam, not syrup. And to be honest, we like our jam with a soft set. I do not like cutting my jelly with a knife.


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