New thought on Jelly

[CHecker]

Forgive me if this is a new thought only to me and everyone else already knows it! I think it's great.

I'm not much on sweet stuff so making jelly or jam isn't one of my things. But this year it's different. We've had a banner year of berries and fruits so I thought I'd do a bit. First I started with peach jam. When I went to make it, the pectin required 51/2 cups to 7 cups of sugar per batch of fruit, 6-8 cups. WOW is that a huge bunch of sugar! I thought there has to be a better way.

I was also canning peach pie filling as well and I had to use Clear-Jel to thicken it!! Hmmmm, why not in jelly? My next batch of peach jam was made with 71/2 cups peach, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 3/4 cup clear-jel and 2 cups sugar! I actually used less than 2 cups. The point is that the Clear-Jel doesn't rely on the reaction between the pectin and sugar to make a "jel'. It just thickens on it's own.

This worked well with the cherries, blackberries and blueberries too. Now I have so much I have gifts for friends!

Does anyone else know this?

[GrumpysWife]

Awesome idea. I love it, thanks.

[normadenardo]

Forgive me if this is a new thought only to me and everyone else already knows it! I think it's great.

I'm not much on sweet stuff so making jelly or jam isn't one of my things. But this year it's different. We've had a banner year of berries and fruits so I thought I'd do a bit. First I started with peach jam. When I went to make it, the pectin required 51/2 cups to 7 cups of sugar per batch of fruit, 6-8 cups. WOW is that a huge bunch of sugar! I thought there has to be a better way.

I was also canning peach pie filling as well and I had to use Clear-Jel to thicken it!! Hmmmm, why not in jelly? My next batch of peach jam was made with 71/2 cups peach, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 3/4 cup clear-jel and 2 cups sugar! I actually used less than 2 cups. The point is that the Clear-Jel doesn't rely on the reaction between the pectin and sugar to make a "jel'. It just thickens on it's own.

This worked well with the cherries, blackberries and blueberries too. Now I have so much I have gifts for friends!

Does anyone else know this?

what is clear-jel made of? I have never used it before.

[Lance]

Clear-jel is a modified corn starch...

We use tapioca as a thickening agent in fruit pies.. Since my wife has problems with corn based products...

[CHecker]

Yes, I've heard of some who have allergies, bummer. It is a modified corn starch like you said Lance. Tapioca can be used in canning jellies but with a lesser degree of success (just my opinion) but with allergies there is no other choice.

Something I've also started doing is taking the fruit as it's picked and making it into juice and freezing it in quantities so you can make jelly as you want it, thus using tapioca sucussfully.

Here's a link I used

http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Hill-Farm-Clear-Lbs/dp/B009C9BSGK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379274375&sr=8-2&keywords=clear+jel

[surfergirl]

Sounds yummy.

To make a jelly. You can use Gelatin.

Or agar agar. (Found in the health ilse is made from seaweed)

Comes in sheets. You add like 4 to hot water stir til dissolved.

Make like almost a juice consistency. With fruit. Add your dissolved agar

Let it set in fridge.

If you don't want to much sugar swap it for apple juice. Let the fruit blend in with the juice when cooking.

[CHecker]

Oh agar agar is something I've read about but not familiar with. Maybe some day I will since it sounds like I'd like it. I like all that seaweed stuff and would like to use it more. (off topic.....in the spring, here on the ocean, people pick up the seaweed from the beach and spread it around in the garden in thick piles, it becomes a slimy goop that goes into the soil! Great for fertilizing. I'm doing it in spring this year)

Here is what I've been using for my recipes

http://extension.usu.edu/juab/files/uploads/FCS/Using%20Clear%20Jel%20with%20pie%20filling%20recipes.pdf