On 3 Apr 2007 17:54:24 -0700, "Sheldon" > wrote:
>On Apr 3, 8:22?pm, LurfysMa > wrote:
>> On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:43:35 GMT, Puester >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> >Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> >> In article >,
>> >> urfysMa > 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.
>>
>> >>> 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.
>> >> Blueberries are low in pectin. ook for something called Pomona's
>> >> Universal Pectin and see what they have to say about using dried fruits
>> >> (I think you probably can).
nd Ball makes a Fruit Jell powder pectin
>> >> that you can do with little or no sugar. ou can cook down the berries
>> >> until they're quite thick. ry a small batch. 'm not sure I'd call it
>> >> jam, though.
>>
>> >My guess was that there wouldn't be much flavor left by the time it was
>> >cooked down enough to thicken to a jammy consistency.
>>
>> I was worried about that, too. Can I just cook it a little -- just to
>> get it gooey? Or maybe not cook at all -- just add water and mix.
>> These berries are already freeze dried so there's no moisture at all
>> to start with.
>>
>> I have been able to create something about the same consistency as
>> "dried" blueberries like they sell at Trader Joe's, which have a
>> little moisture left. I put them in a plastic bowl and just sprinkle
>> then with a little water. I then put the lid on, shake them up, and
>> let them sit for an hour or so. The longer they sit, the closer they
>> come to being just like the dried (not freeze dried) blueberries.
>>
>> These berries are from Honeyville Farms, but they are cheaper from
>> Amazon:
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Freeze-Dried-B...n/dp/B0006ZN4Z...
>
>Actually they're $2 less from Honeyville Farms.
>
>http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/ind...ROD&ProdID=569
Hmmm... So they are. The last time I checked (which was 6-8 months ago
when I got this can) they were about $2 cheaper at Amazon.
>Freeze dried blueberries have a long shelf life (~15 yrs) so there's
>no big rush to use them up.
That's true as long as the can is unopened. I'm not sure how long they
last after that as moisture will start creeping in. They do pack a
little packet of "EverFresh", but it is an "oxygen remover", not a
moisture remover.
>I think they're a bit pricey to use for
>jams, and then having to reverse the process by rehydrating I think
>will dilute the flavor...
I have a bowl of rehydrated freeze-dried blueberries and a bag of
Trader Joe's dried blueberries. It's not a fair test because the
Trader Joe's blueberries are sweetened with apple juice. I would say
that the rehydrated berries are closer to the taste of blueberries
than the TJ's, but neither would ever be confused with the taste of
fresh berries.
>I'd save them for breakfast cereals and of
>course for baking... freeze dried are actually better than fresh in
>muffins, cakes, breads, cookies, pancakes, you name it.
I have been using them mainly for making trail mix. I combine almonds,
raisins, and rehydrated blueberries. Pretty good. When I have weak
will power, I toss in a few M&Ms. ;-)
I have a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal almost every day (also from
Honeyville Farms). I don't know why I never thought about tossing in a
few blueberries. I will do that tomorrow for sure. Thanks for the
reminder.
I'm not much of a cook and my SO hates all berries so blueberry
muffins are not an option. (sigh) But we do have pancakes
occasionally. I'll try adding some to my half of the batter next time.
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