I don't add any more of either, than I would with fresh fruit
only frozen strawberries, but they need pectin for a reliable set anyway, even when fresh.
Hi Mum... what pectin do you add for strawb jam? I'm new to jams this year and have only made Quince jellies.. My new plot will have an abundance of Strawbs and Raspbs so loads of jam to be made for the family and friends..
Yes you can use certo, or jam sugar with certo, or buy packets of pectin. I try to steer away from these as I prefer not to use chemicals. You can make your own pectin stock by simmering apple peel and apple cores in a little water and putting them through a jelly strainer. You can then freeze them in 1/4 pint quantities until you need them.
I make and sell my preserves as a small business so I like to keep my preserves as natural as possible.
Freezing is also very good for marmalade too as the freezing helps to soften the peel so you don't need to simmer the peel for so long.
You may also need extra pectin for someother fruit with a low pectin content. You can check how good your pectin level is in your fruit by simmering the fruit with the water etc and before adding the sugar take a teaspoonful of the fruit mixture and put it into a jar with some methylated spirits in. Only need about 1cm of spiritsand best to do this away from the jam. DOn't want any spillages!
Give the jar a little shake and look at the fruit if it makes a firm jelly like clot you have a good pectin level and don't need extra. If it looks watery and does not hold its shape or make a thick clot then you have a low pectin content and will need extra for a set.
A really good, inexpensive book to help you with the jam making which gives you a chart of high and low pectin fruit and a recipe for homemade pectin stock is ' Making Jams and Preserves' by Diana Sutton. Good life press. You can get it on Amazon. Well laid out and easy to follow.