Alternatives to Purchased Pectin

If you make many jams or jellies, you probably are 1) tired of paying too much for each box of pectin and 2) tired of using so much sugar (but afraid of the warnings that it won't gel if you don't). There are alternatives!

My favorite option is Clear Jel from Barry Farm. Click here to order it from Amazon.com. (Shipping is pricey, so order 2 bags if you plan to make a lot of jam. I got about 30 pints from a 1-pound bag.)

For a berry jam, I use 4 cups crushed berries, 1/4 lemon juice, 7 Tbs Clear Jel, and sugar to taste. I feel so much better about this jam! Specific instructions for this and other Clear Jel recipes can be found here.

Another option is Pomona Pectin. It is also available from Amazon.com right here. It's more expensive than Clear Jel, though much less expensive than the regular pectin from the grocery store. I used this one year, but my family didn't really like the taste.

Or, you can get your pectin directly from fruit. :) My mother-in-law uses red currants to make her own pectin. However, the process sounds really cumbersome and I don't know exact proportions to use. (Yes, I'm a lazy canner!) However, last year I found easy instructions for making pectin from green (i.e. unripe--not green-colored) apples. This blogger actually made apple jelly and then used it to gel her other jams. It sounded good, but I have to admit that the apple pectin jelly was so yummy by itself that I didn't have any left to make this year's jams! (Hence, Clear Jel again this year....) Also, I should add that the apple pectin jelly requires quite a lot of sugar too. If you want to try it for yourself, this is the time to do it while those unripe apples are dropping.

Happy jam making!

Zucchini Milk

If you are wondering what to do with all the extra zucchini and want to stretch the budget, here's a suggestion.

"Zucchini milk is a versatile liquid that's ideal for making bread, cakes, and cream soups. Make the milk when zucchini is in season and freeze it in one-cup containers. For a pale, off-white milk, peel the zucchini thickly (or double peel). Unpeeled zucchini will result in green milk.

2-1/2 pounds of firm zucchini, peeled and cut into chunks

PLACE ENOUGH ZUCCHINI in a blender to fill it about one-quarter full. Process to a thick, smooth liquid. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat to puree all the zucchini.

Heat to boiling over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute. Cool briefly and pour into four, one-cup canning jars. Makes about 1 quart.

Cooks Tip: This versatile milk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 year."

The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie H. Jones, R.N.
Click here to order The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook on Amazon.com

Preserving the Harvest

If you want to eat all local food, you need to preserve and store food at harvest time to last until the next harvest. Food storage was a fact of life for our forebears, but it's something that we're not always used to thinking about!

Food preservation, however, does not need to be complicated. Most fresh foods can be frozen, dehydrated, or canned. A fantastic website to help you get started (or to answer questions, even if you are an experienced food preserver) is PickYourOwn.org.

*If you want to find U-Pick farms, click on "Start Here" at the top of the page, and find your state.

*Check out "Picking Tips" for how to tell what is ripe.

*Click on "Home canning, freezing, etc." for a wealth of information. There are step-by-step directions and photos on how to preserve almost any fruit or vegetable. (I learned how to can fresh figs, which I tasted for the first time this summer!)

*Also under "Home canning, freezing, etc." there are links to online sources for food storage supplies. I discovered that Amazon has a great price on pectin. Who knew?

Even if you don't want to get into food preservation "Big Time," you can freeze some produce--or even make freezer jam--with no special equipment. Check out this wonderful website, and give it a try!