Granulated sugar for Jam?

RHYSDAD

I expect this has been posted a thousand times so apologies in advance. I want to make another batch of Damson jam but refuse to pay Sainsbury's new price of £1.48 for preserving sugar:eek:. The last lot i bought was quid!!!

Will normal unrefined granulated be coarse enough to make jam okay?

Thanks in advance!!

zippychick

I think that would be ok - i *think* the pectin helps it set, and lemon juice can do the same job.... I think.

amandada

I've never *not* used just normal granulated sugar!

Just chuck a lemon cut in half into the pan when it's boiling and you'll get the pectin from that

RHYSDAD

Damsons have a high pectin content anyway. The preserving sugar is slightly different to jam sugar in that respect. I just wondered if normal granulated is okay (if anyone else had used it).

Thanks for the replies!

zippychick

Jam making a sugar question discusses the very same thing.

First time making jam should also offer tips and suggestions. I'll merge this with the first link later for you

Zip:j

champys

amandada wrote: »

I've never *not* used just normal granulated sugar!

Just chuck a lemon cut in half into the pan when it's boiling and you'll get the pectin from that

Same here - I buy the cheapest sugar I can find, and add some lemon juice (for some fruits this is not even necessary). If I make plum or damson jam, I don't use lemon juice but I put some of the stones in a muslin and cook that with the fruit to get the pectin. I do simmer the plums for a while though, before adding the sugar, till the mass is reduced by 1/4 or 1/3 of its volume so it's less watery. It is trial and error though, I have ended up with rather solid plum jam!

izzwizz_2

I've never used preserving sugar, and my damson jam comes out fine with ordinary granulated.

RHYSDAD

Thanks all, be lost without your vast array of knowledge. I just dip in now and again to OS!

Pink.

Hi RHYSDAD,

I use ordinary granulated sugar too when making jam. Unless it's a fruit that is low in pectin (which damsons aren't) it will be fine.

Pink

wogglemaker

another vote for normal sugar unless strawberry jam or other low pectinsim

freyasmum

It'll be fine.

I made rhubarb jam last year and just used normal sugar, and added a little lemon (for taste and pectin). It came out a treat - even if I do say so myself

The jam sugar is more for fruits which don't have enough pectin in them