Low-Sugar Jam Recipe: Sweet Cherry Jam

Enlarge Image Image Gallery You can try this Low-Sugar Jam Recipe: Sweet Cherry Jam with sweet or sour cherries. Fotolia/Igor Negovelov

Pomona's Universal Pectin is different from other pectins because its jelling power is activated by calcium, not by sugar content. This allows this Sweet Cherry Jam Recipe to be cooked with low amounts of sugar or honey. Try this recipe with sweet or sour cherries. 

MAIN ARTICLE: 
Pomona Universal Pectin Is Unique for Low-Sugar Jam Recipes 

Low-Sugar Jam Recipe: Sweet Cherry Jam

4 cups pitted, chopped, and mashed sweet cherries
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
1/2 to 1 cup honey or 3/4 up to 2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons calcium water (included in Pomona’s box)
3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder

Prepare fruit and measure into saucepan with lemon or lime juice.

Add calcium water to fruit (see Pomona’s directions for making calcium water) and stir well.

Measure sugar or cold/room temperature honey into separate bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener.

Bring fruit to a boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture to fruit and stir vigorously 1 to 2 minutes while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.

Fill jars and process 10 minutes using water bath method. Yields about 5 cups. Lasts about 3 weeks once opened.

Note: If you have Sour Cherries, you don’t need to add the lemon/lime juice and you only need 2 teaspoons or pectin and 2 teaspoons of calcium water for 4 cups of mashed fruit.

Optional: To soften firm fruit, bring to a boil with 1/2 cup of water, simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.