The Preserver's Year

daska

For jamming you need a chemical reaction to take place which relies on sugar, pectin and acid. Sugar is also the main preservative in jam. So as you reduce the sugar you get a softer set and limit the shelf life. That's why you can keep jam in the cupboard but have to keep the french type conserves in the fridge if you're not a fast eater. We generally have so much sugar in our diet now that jam is no longer a sweet treat, but when it was there wasn't the need to limit the sugar because it wasn't so prevalent - it's a foodstuff suited to a different age LOL.

Chris25

ceridwen wrote: »

Chris25 wrote: »

ceridwen - here's an answer to one of your questions


errr...thanks....I'm thinking you mighta given a link I can click on...but I'm missing this somewheres.......:D

Like the praying smilie...:D

no, no link - you were asking where was a praying smiley when you need one
sorry, should have made it more clear

Confuzzled

ceridwen wrote: »

Thinks....what were those health problems aspartame causes again?...

back in the early 90's i read about several studies that found that people that consume large quantities of aspartame (known more commonly as nutrasweet in the US) were having symptoms very much like multiple sclerosis

for most of these people, when they stopped eating so much aspartame their symptoms slowly eased off, sadly though, for more than just a few, the symptoms remained

i've never liked the twang of sweetners, they are so chemical tasting to me but after reading those studies i've sworn it off with a vengence... think maybe that might be what you were referring to

Confuzzled

my hedgerow cordial turned out gorgeous last night, i was soooooo chuffed!

i actually went out and bought some ice cream so we could drizzle some over, very tasty!

in the end i didn't get a chance to weight everything out as i had so much other stuff going on but an educated guess tells me i had 1kg of rosehips, 1kg of rowan berries, about 2kg of elderberries (which explains why it took me so long to get them all off the stems!) i also added in 6 plums that needed eating and at the end i put in 2 jars of this pomegrante drinks mixer i got from approved foods (just water, sugar and fruit juice, i checked first!) as well as a bit of mixed spice...

mmmmmmmmm i'm going to really look forward to my tablespoon a day to keep colds and flu away and so is the wee one as she's told me that a few times already!

my first attempts with the hedgerow ingredients were meant to be jam but they just never quite set even after adding more apples and boiling longer and longer so i gave up and i am just calling it all cordial, with this attempt i didn't even bother to fuss with making jam, it's cordial darnit

to be honest my wee one doesn't like jam much :eek: so cordial is a lot more useful anyway and it does really taste nice right out of the jar or diluted with water...in fact i think i'll have some now and maybe pour some over some porridge later!

ceridwen

HariboJunkie wrote: »

Oh dear. Seems like I screwed up my links.:rolleyes: That will teach me to try helping when I'm exhausted from chicken run building.

Offending links removed.

...oh well.....never mind. Thanks for trying to help anyways.

ceridwen

daska wrote: »

For jamming you need a chemical reaction to take place which relies on sugar, pectin and acid. Sugar is also the main preservative in jam. So as you reduce the sugar you get a softer set and limit the shelf life. That's why you can keep jam in the cupboard but have to keep the french type conserves in the fridge if you're not a fast eater. We generally have so much sugar in our diet now that jam is no longer a sweet treat, but when it was there wasn't the need to limit the sugar because it wasn't so prevalent - it's a foodstuff suited to a different age LOL.

I think there is a certain logic in that - as in I guess these recipes evolved in a more "active" era than our own. We have all become a lot more sedentary - as we know - for the last few decades. I personally think "the wheel is turning back" and many of us will be changing back to a rather more active lifestyle than we have come to expect in recent years - and probably all to the good in some ways:D.

Personally - I'm trying to rack my brain about all the health hazards associated with sugar too - I've got it "tucked away" somewheres on my first blog I seem to recall. Evidence read and opinion duly formed.

Obviously - sugar is the "lesser of the evils" - as compared to those artificial sweeteners - but personally I am searching for ways to preserve food without sugar (some aspects of modern life I DONT intend to give up if I can possibly help it - in my case that includes a reasonably healthy diet - which I regard as being a virtually sugarfree one).:D

So - as someone said somewheres on another website altogether - "over to the hive mind - to see what ideas we can generate between us"..."many minds maketh light work and all that"....I'm a great fan of the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

ceridwen

Confuzzled wrote: »

back in the early 90's i read about several studies that found that people that consume large quantities of aspartame (known more commonly as nutrasweet in the US) were having symptoms very much like multiple sclerosis

for most of these people, when they stopped eating so much aspartame their symptoms slowly eased off, sadly though, for more than just a few, the symptoms remained

i've never liked the twang of sweetners, they are so chemical tasting to me but after reading those studies i've sworn it off with a vengence... think maybe that might be what you were referring to

That sounds about it....certainly I personally can taste the "aftertaste" of artificial sweeteners (I've certainly got more "sensitive" tastebuds than many - probably because I've never used tobacco or drugs...so it comes over very strongly to me). Also - having friends with M.S. - I certainly DONT want to join in their symptoms.....I've been quite horrified and saddened to see just how much people can suffer with this illness...

Frugalista

daska wrote: »

For jamming you need a chemical reaction to take place which relies on sugar, pectin and acid. Sugar is also the main preservative in jam. So as you reduce the sugar you get a softer set and limit the shelf life. That's why you can keep jam in the cupboard but have to keep the french type conserves in the fridge if you're not a fast eater. We generally have so much sugar in our diet now that jam is no longer a sweet treat, but when it was there wasn't the need to limit the sugar because it wasn't so prevalent - it's a foodstuff suited to a different age LOL.

I read somewhere (probably on an American site) that you can use applesauce (puree?) instead of fat in some recipes. To that end, I was thinking of stewing some apples and putting them in hot jars to preserve them.

Bearing in mind the above quote, anyone have any idea of how little sugar I would get away with using? I was going to try using less sugar as (presumably) when using the applesauce in place of fat, you would still have to add the same amount of sugar that the recipe called for? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

ceridwen

Frugalista wrote: »

I read somewhere (probably on an American site) that you can use applesauce (puree?) instead of fat in some recipes. To that end, I was thinking of stewing some apples and putting them in hot jars to preserve them.

Bearing in mind the above quote, anyone have any idea of how little sugar I would get away with using? I was going to try using less sugar as (presumably) when using the applesauce in place of fat, you would still have to add the same amount of sugar that the recipe called for? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Hang on in there an itsy minute - I'm sitting there thinking "that rings a bell I DO know"......"think that might be somewheres in there in that book by Albert Bates "The post-petroleum survival guide and cookbook - recipes for changing times". I know he lists a lot of recipes and then puts in various substitutes for different ingredients (in case we cant get the original ones). I've just grabbed it from the relevant bookcase in my "reference library".......Excuse me a minute...while I have a look to see if this is where I saw that too.......

ceridwen

I was thinking of the correct book re applesauce instead of fat - twas Albert Bates' book that has a list of substitutes for common ingredients (in an appendix at the back).

Under the heading "oils and butters" he has:

Baking fat = applesauce, pureed prunes, apple butter, fruit-based fat substitutes, ricotta cheese, bananas (mashed), nutritional yeast, omit or reduce.

Frying fat = clarified butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, beer and wine (for sauteing - use 3 Tbsp of flat beer or wine for every Tbsp of butter called for in recipe).

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Better say "howdy and thanks Albert" just in case he gets to get read this..:D

Think I might possibly have seen this someplace else too....just trying to think what the name of that American woman is who had one of those "downhome" type blogs - which she subsequently passed onto another "caretaker".....'tis on my long thread here on MSE - on which I featured a lotta blogs - think mighta been "Hillbilly Housewife" - couldnt swear thats the proper name of the blog - or that she might have listed food substitutes on there....I might be taking you down a false trail on that...but just have an idea she mighta done this substitutes thing too...

EDIT: Just had quick google and title of blog is correct:

www.hillbillyhousewife.com/blog/

- but couldnt swear to it that that was another place I mighta seen substitutes for various foods listed.....