difference between pectin and gelatin?

[FebFaith]

We are making strawberry freezer jam and cannot purchase pectin here. How should I adjust the following recipe: 2 cups of fruit, 4 cups of sugar. dissolve pectin in 3/4 cup of water and cook on stove for one minute. Mix together and put in containers.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

[Mokek Kwe]

bump! I'm not sure... It seems like gelatin might be more congealing?

[Serafine]

Besides the fact that they normal have different sources, pectin typically requires the presence of sugar to gel, whereas gelatin does not. And, gelatin is a firmer gel than pectin. And might produce a different mouthfeel...but it might not.

Gelatin used to be derived from animals, but now can be obtained from seaweed as well. Pectin is found in plants (like apples, etc.).

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------

And, leave it to me to only read the title, and post an answer COMPLETELY useless to your actual question.

I will be right back after I look in my canning books.

ETA: 1:2 gelatin: pectin. So, use half the amount of gelatin.

---------- Post added at 08:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM ----------

or you could skip pectin/gelatin all together and use citrus zest (which is really high in pectin).


Strawberry Jam
4 pounds just under-ripe strawberries, hulled
Juice and zest of 3 oranges, seeds reserved
8 Cups granulated sugar, warmed




Put strawberries in jam pan or large wide sauce pan. And OJ and zest. Place the seeds in a muslin bag and attach it to the handle, allowing the bag to fall into the jam. Cook over low heat. Bring to boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes til berries are very soft and pulpy. Mash berries lightly with a potato masher. Squeeze bag of seeds against side of pan to extract pectin, then discard bag. Add warmed sugar to jam. Stir til it dissolves. Turn up heat. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes until setting point is reached. Lift off any surface scum. Let sit for 10 minutes. Stir well. Ladle into warm sterilized jars and seal while the jam is hot. It's ready to eat immediately.


This recipe is from The Art of Preserving by Jan Berry

[mountainash]

Here is an article on how to make and can your own pectin. It's useful for those w/ corn allergies. We typically make freezer jam as it's faster and doesn't require any thickening.

[Garland]

How did it turn out?


I made some freezer jam without any thickener because my kids like it spread thin on bread anyway, or used more like a sauce on pancakes.