On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:08:06 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> LurfysMa > wrote:
>
>> I was given a large (1 gallon?) can of freeze dried blueberries. I
>> would like to see if I can make blueberry jam. I'd like to make it
>> with little or no sugar.
>>
>> I'll be using it with peanut butter, so it shouldn't be too runny.
>>
>> Do I even need to cook the blueberries?
>>
>> Would it work to put a couple of cups of dried blueberries in a sauce
>> pan with just enough water to rehydrate them and then just simmer
>> briefly until they become jam?
>>
>> Or could I mix the dried blueberries with some water in a bowl using a
>> whisk or a hand mixer?
>>
>> I see ads for blueberry jam containing just blueberries and maybe
>> grape juice or something as a sweetener.
>>
>> Can anyone recommend a good recipe that I could try?
>>
>> --
>
>There's something about that I don't like.

Something about what? The whole idea? The no sugar? The dried berries?

>Blueberries are low in pectin. Look for something called Pomona's
>Universal Pectin and see what they have to say about using dried fruits
>(I think you probably can).

I found Pomona's website (www.pomonapectin.com). From reading that
site, I see that regular pectin (like my mom and gramma used to use)
require sugar to "activate". I never knew that.

>And Ball makes a Fruit Jell powder pectin that you can do with little or no sugar.

Apparently the Ball company no longer makes those jars my mom used to
own by the hundreds and which made such great bug containers.
(Although it seems to me that she used to call them "Kerr Mason"
jars.) That business was spun off to Jarden Home Brands
(www.homecanning.com).

They have several pectin products:

http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/pectin/21.php

including:

1. No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin: Claims to make jam with no
cooking. Will work with sugar substitutes. I would assume it would
also work with no sweetener at all, but it doesn't say that.

2. Liquid Fruit Pectin: This looks to be regular pectin, but in liquid
form. Clearly states that it requires sugar.

3. No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin: Looks to be like regular pectin, but
without the requirement for sugar.

4. Original Fruit Pectin: This looks to be regular pectin. Clearly
states that it requires sugar.

It looks like I could try either #1 or #3. Any sggestions for one over
the other? Any comments on how the resulting jams will compare.

>You can cook down the berries until they're quite thick. Try a small batch.
>I'm not sure I'd call it jam, though.

I don't care what it's called as long as it tastes like blueberries,
has as little sugar as possible, and is thick enough to stay on a
PB&J.

Thanks for the pointers.

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