The Jam and Jelly Lady

To Pectin or Not To Pectin? Health lifestyle, budget, and one's personal palate are the usual deciding factors on whether or not a canner uses pectin. In our cannery, we do not use pectin except on the rare occasion. 

Why? Let's address each of the factors above.

Health Lifestyle: Many canners have concerns about thickeners in their food supply. Pectin, guar gum, and other thickeners are used in commercial preparation of jams, sauces, etc. Thickening is most often used instead of "reducing" (which we use in our cannery). Pectin cannot be ingested by a small portion of our society (evergrowing) that has developed an allergy to it. Some experts are also concerned that pectin, which should be made from citrus or apples, is increasingly made from the starch of GMO corn. Overconsumption of pectin-based foods may cause abdominal pain and prevent your body from absorbing important micronutrients. If you're a convenience food junkie, it's worthwhile to check your shelves for products that contain pectin -- you may have too many!

Budget: If a cook throws pectin into a batch of jam, for example, she will save time (jam will be ready to bottle faster), money (less energy, and she must use more sugar - less fruit), and will have a larger yield (without reduction, she is left with extra water in the batch). At our cannery, we prefer less sugar and more fruit. While you might save a few bucks eliminating pectin from your canning recipes, you will probably pay more for additional fruit, however.

Palate: Aah, a pectin-based jam can't hold a candle to the flavor to the strong, fruity flavor of a no-pectin jam! Like true French confitures, our jam is soft, easy to spread, and is often used as sauce for meat, desserts, and dressings!

Want to become an expert on making the best jam ever? Register for our award-winning Canning Boot Camp (located in Lebanon, Ohio). We are blessed to have the most interesting students congregating from South Africa, Canada, California, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, and, of course, all our surrounding states. 

Sonya Staffan is a Master Preserver, and is certified by the Ohio Department of Agriculture in addition to the FDA. She has taught canning for 21 years. Her Canning Boot Camp is held in her private, licensed cannery in Lebanon, Ohio.