Suggest you try the Pomona pectin as it will give you a much more reliable set with no sugar needs. Also, the batch size and by much bigger if you have a lot to preserve. You can still dry them too, even if very ripe, provided that they are not serously blemished or starting to spoil. Drying would most definately require a dehydrator to get that moisture out very quickly. You can add, and change the recipe to your liking if you use the Pomona brand of pectin. Something thats not very reliable with regular low/no sugar pectin products.

Either apples or cranberries could be safely subbed for a portion of the plums and would increase the likelihood of a good set.

I try to avoid using extra-ripe fruit but would be inclined to freeze it and use in smoothies. Over-ripe fruit can also be used in fruit butters or sauces, but I'd add some lemon juice to compensate for reduced acidity.

Carol

It will be safe to use ripe fruits for jam, but as Ken said, as long as they don't show any signs of spoilage.
I also use Pomona's because you can make up your own recipes. If they don't gel, no big deal, just remake it with Pomona's. The stuff is so forgiving. Also, Pomona's has a phone line and they are so kind in helping you with any questions.

My sincere thanks for the very useful answers. I have been a member of this forum for many years so have naturally heard of Pomona's . I always thought I'd find out where to get it "next year" when I have "more time". HA!

Here I was without it another year and reading your comments/suggestions. That's it... No more "next year'! Local health food stores didn't carry it so.... it is coming from Massachusetts and have no idea how long it'll take to get here. I don't think it took me more than 5 minutes to complete my order directly from them... took me longer to call the 2 local health food stores!

Plum/apple/cranberry jam will have to made using the usual pectin since ripening continues by the minute, and I don't care much for freezer jams. I still have gallons of currents in the freezer and a couple of boxes of fresh-picked apples to make more jams, so I'll still get to try out the Pomona's this year. Good for me!

The recipes given on the Pomona's site other than for canning, such as the 'Frozen Lemon or Lime Pie', sound like they may be interesting to try. Has anyone made any of them?

Thanks again.

Crystal... Still living in the PsittacineJungle

Crystal,
Currants are loaded with pectin. You shouldn't have any trouble getting anything you make with them to set. I made raspberry red currant jam the other day. I had to use frozen raspberries, but my friend who gave me the currants absolutely loved it.
Melly

Carol,
I am making raspberry currant jam today and will use 1 pint of frozen berries as well as frozen currant juice. Did you make a no pectin Jam? If so, could you share the recipe?

I used a recipe from the new Ball book because I wanted to use the currant pulp. (I ran them through the strainer attachment of the kitchenaid.) It was basically equal parts currant pulp and whole raspberries, then just a little bit less sugar than the total of the fruit.

This is Carol's post from earlier this year.

These are my own notes, so I left out instructions for some of the steps. If you need additional information, just let me know.

The reason these preserves work so beautifully is you prepare currant juice and use that as a base in which the raspberries float. It's a Madelaine Bullwinkel recipe. Her methods are unique (also a pain) but they make lower-sugar no-commercial-pectin preserves possible.

I've posted another of her recipes here before, one a lot of members liked, for spiced blueberry preserves. It's a winner too.

Raspberry Red Currant Preserves

Categories : Canning & Preserving Jams & Jellies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups red currant juice -- (strained from 2 1/2 pounds)
2 pounds raspberries
3 tablespoons lemon juice -- divided
3 1/4 cups sugar -- divided

Extract juice from currants. (Do not heat currants with stems; juice will have a "grassy" flavor.)

Combine raspberries and currant juice in an 8-quart non-reactive pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes. Strain juices for 15 minutes. Reserve berries. Measure the juice and either reduce or add water to measure 3 cups.

Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the strained fruit juices in a clean 8-quart pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and add 3 cups sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing liquid to ragain a boil each time before adding more. Cook to the jell point. This will happen within 5 minutes.

Stir reserved berries into the hot jelly and steep 15 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Uncover and stir in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Keep at a boil until jell temp is restored, about 5 minutes.

Pour preserves into a 2-quart glass measure. Let preserves sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to redistribute the berries. Bottle as usual and BWB 10 minutes.

Description:
"These are delectable and beautiful. A Madelaine Bullwinkel recipe."

Yield: 5 cups

My Note: I'm going to try this technique with peach chunks and raspberry juice.

Carol

There are may on line sites that sell the Pomona, besides the maker. Back in late August, I found a source that was elling at a special sale price that shipped very quickly. It was from Frankferd Farms. Their current price is $3.18 a box. It can also be found in many ORGANIC food stores, here we have Wild Harvest stores and they carry it for a slightly higher cost per box. A single box can make up to about 24 eight ounce jars of jelly or jam. A single box of Certo or Surejel will only make about 5 cups at most. If you do a lot of jelly making, you can also buy in bulk.

Here is a link that might be useful: Franferd Farms link

Melly, I just got my grinder/strainer attachments from Kitchenaid a week ago. Funny thing is, I know more about using it from reading on this forum over the years, than I learned from the tiny bit of information available in their guide! It appears that they (KA), believe those who order their equipment already know what to do with them and how to properly prepare the foods for this process. Booklet explains how to put 'em together and how to clean them but not much on how, and what can be strained! For instance, the only note on what NOT to put through the strainer, is slip-skin type grapes, but I know from reading this forum that there are some small-seeded type fruit (can't remember off-hand what it/they are) that should not be processed through. Good to know that I can do the currants.

The recipe for Raspberry Currant Preserves sounds wonderful! A few years ago I laboriously squeezed out as much juice and pulp as I could from the white currents I had from my young bush (my reds started producing the following year). Didn't have enough juice/pulp for even one batch, BUT I did have a can of frozen concentrated raspberry lemon aid in the freezer, which I added (still concentrated) to make up the difference. It got huge rave reviews and I made a mental note to make it every year. It had a great tang to it and intense flavor that you don't get with the sticky-sweet stuff from the market. HOWEVER, I found out that I am a diabetic and will no longer make that particular recipe. Your/Carol's recipe may be just the one I need to convert to low/no sugar. Though I don't grow raspberries, the usually available frozen should substitute ok, I think. Thank you! Thank You!

ksrogers, thanks for the link. I ordered 1/2 lb. I'm glad I ordered from the maker because it was so FAST through pay-pal! Had I gotten your link first, I'd still be reading.. LOL Next time I need to order, I'll do some looking around and have book-marked Frankferd Farms. I 'shop' carefully for most things but _time_ is the thing I needed to save in this instance.

Crystal... Still living in the PsittacineJungle

Frankferd doesn't accept web orders, so you call on the phone to place orders instead. Keep an eye out next year about early July to mid August, so if they have another sale like they did this year, its a great place to get it cheaper. A half pound of Pomona will last a while. I like to use the whole small packet of calcium they include, as its not affecting taste in any of my batches. Being a diabetic, most all my jellies are made with Splenda, and if I want to get a bit of 'stickiness', I add a little honey. My recent batch of apricot and the batch of blueberry jam were really tasty, and set quite well. I also used some ascorbic acid in the apricot to help retain the bright yellow color.
The reason they say not to use the strainers with seed type grapes as most have large seeds and these tend to jam the machine. The Villaware strainer has a shorter grape spiral so seeds can get past the end a bit easier.

It's very good to know that the calcium doesn't affect taste of the final product.

You would brag on Blueberry jam now, wouldn't you? Couldn't manage to grow those berries here... soil and water pH is too high. ugh. BRIGHT LIGHT OVER HEAD!!! I'll have to buy a bag or two of the frozen ones and experiment with that Pomona's when it gets here!! Yes! Thanks for causing that "ah-ha!" moment, ksrogers. Funny that I never thought about making a jam out of something I didn't grow myself. Must be my age. I love blueberries but hubby detests them. Something just for me. Now, that's an odd thing!

Something else I've been wondering about: if anyone has used low-sugar commercial pectin with the no-sugar or with less sugar and Splenda technique in the past, and now use Pomona's, I'd be interested to know how the textures compare.

Crystal... Still living in the PsittacineJungle

Actually I did try the low/no sugar pectins and found that once set, they tended to weep and once a jar was open in the fridge, it would get a lot of watery liquid coming from the jelly.

As to blueberries, two things that can help with the pH issue. I use a lot of Holly Tone fertilizer here, which lowers the soil pH very well and my 30+ blueberry bushes thrive in it. Besides that, I also add garden sulfur to the blueberry areas which will also help to keep soil pH very low. Holly Tone is an Espoma product, and I sometimes go through 20 pounds in a season. Right next to my blueberry bushes, only about 6 feet away, my vegetable garden must be kept at about 6.8 pH, which requires applying lime there. Some of my bushes are well over 10 foot tall, and my dad planted these over 30 years ago. For the frozen blues, there is a good brand (starts with a W) of wild Maine blueberries that are very good, also using some dried ones help to bring more solid texture to the jam..

Some of us do find the calcium does leave a chalky after-taste. It's an individual thing; for most people it's not an issue, but I can think of myself and at least two other Forum members who don't care for Pomona Pectin for that reason.

Carol