P E C T I N - - 1: How To Make? - - 2: Make Jellies/Jam?

[gl556tr]

I would like to make my own pectin and then use it for making jellies and jams.

It would be appreciated if anyone with experience in this respect be kind enough to help me.

Rather than using industrially-processed flavourings, how could one best replace them with natural, 'organic' ones.

Thank you.

[KARL]

Pectin imparts no flavour, it causes fruit-sugar liquor to "set" to produce jam and/or jelly. Lemon juice is often used, added in it raises the pectin level but sometimes not strongly enough without affecting the flavour. Other sources of pectin exist, quince often proving a strong setting agent.

[Buenchico]

This could help:
https://www.instructables.com/Pectin-from-Scratch/

[woofgang]

For jam there is sufficient pectin in many fruit. For Jelly, (jello) basically take the bones of a cow and boil them...you don't want pectin for jelly, you want gelatine. You can get vegan gelatine (google) but it too, adds no flavour

[tamborine]

Pectin for jams is from the seeds, particularly plum/cherry size seeds, boiled with the fruit. Therefore a boiled handful of fruit seeds should give pectin.

[puzzled54]

For low pectin fruit like strawberries and raspberries, I add redcurrants. They are high in pectin so help the jam to set, and give the jam a nice colour too.

[puzzled54]

By jelly, I presume you mean seedless jam. I make small batches of jam and jelly when I have fruit in season, say 1 pound fruit to 1 pound sugar. That way, you don’t need a jam pan and it is a lot easier than making loads at once. Apple is a good source of pectin, an apple grated in with the fruit will help the set

[puzzled54]

Are my suggestions of any use?

[gl556tr]

Oh, yes, puzzled54! Your suggestions, together with those of the others here, have proved helpful and interesting.

I am aiming for:
> non-animal pectin
> minimal sugar - how to do so?! Most are rather sweet.

Have also heard of sea-weed and agar! Anyone with suggestions here?

Apart from jams and marmalade, I intend to make trifle jellies.
Yum! Yum!

[Buenchico]

This might be of interest to you, gl556tr:
https://www.cappersfarmer.com/food-and-entertaining/making-low-sugar-jam-with-agar-agar-instead-of-pectin/

[gingejbee]

"non-animal pectin"...easy - pectin comes from fruit and vegetables.
(Personally, I'd buy a bottle of it from Waitrose!)

[gingejbee]

I know that jam made with gelatine goes "off" ie grows moulds very easily - not sure about agar-agar (although agar is used as a growing medium for bacteria in laboratories, so probably not a good sign!).

[woofgang]

You don't need to add any pectin at all to most jams and jellies that are for spreading on bread, just use high pectin fruit in the first place. To make a lower sugar jam, make fruit butter (google)
If you want to make table jelly for trifles then make it with fruit juice and vegetable gelatine (google) and don't add any sugar. Do not try and make pineapple table jelly in this way, the bromelain in the pineapple will stop the gelatin working. I think papaya does the same thing.
You can find recipes for DIY vegetable gelatine online but why faff and invent the wheel when its freely available ready made?