can you make jam with honey?

bellsbells

Hello everyone,

So I am making my sloe jelly and thinking how great it is to be using free, seasonal, and local fruit then remember that the sugar will have seriously bumped up the food miles! Can you make jam using honey, if so how? Do you do a straight swap honey for sugar? I could then use local honey, especially as my mother in law has just started keeping bees! Any thoughts and wisdom will be gratefully recieved.

many thanks

bellsbells

thriftlady_2

I have a feeling that you can't, I don't think it behaves in the same way as sugar does, but I'm not certain.

I think that most cheap white granulated sugar is made from homegrown sugar beet rather than tropical sugar cane. Also honey is much more expensive than sugar although not, of course, if you have a free supply -lucky thing

Penelope_Penguin

My gut instinct is to agree with thriftlady, though I was thinking more that honey may add flavour to jam that may not be pleasant. Additionally, you'll have to allow for its water content.

Agree about sugar beet.

However, if you have a plentiful supply of free honey, why not try a small batch? Let us know how it works.

Penny. x

bellsbells

Good point about the sugar beet thriftlady - I forgot about that. What you both say makes sense. I am tempted just to give it a try PP like you suggested. I have plenty of sloes/blackberries to play with. I think I will have to start a 'what can I do with all this honey' thread soon:rotfl:

Thanks for your help.

Poet_2

jam sugar has pectin in to help the jam set, honey doesn't have pectin, not sure if you can use honey and then add your own pectin. let us know how you get on

Penelope_Penguin

Poet wrote: »

jam sugar has pectin in to help the jam set, honey doesn't have pectin, not sure if you can use honey and then add your own pectin. let us know how you get on

I never use jam sugar. I rely on the pectin in the fruit, and use lemon juice in low pectin fruit.

Penny. x

odds-n-sods

no, i don't think you can - the water content in honey would upset the moisture ratio too much.

Poet_2

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I never use jam sugar. I rely on the pectin in the fruit, and use lemon juice in low pectin fruit.

Penny. x

if you have time, PM me some of your jam recipes, you sound like an expert - up to now i've just used the jam setting on my breadmaker and use jam sugar but we're growing more fruit bushes/tress in our garden this year so will need to make jam on a bigger scale next year I expect :huh:

vixtress

the title says it all really. there is a jam setting on my machine but i dont have the instuctions.
do i just put it all in together or the fruit and water followed by the sugar.
also, is it a faff or easier than in a jam pan?
thanks, vix

Poet_2

i just use 300g fruit, 300g jam sugar and 3 tablespoons lemon juice-just stick all the ingrediants in together and switch on and leave it alone til it's done or at least that's what my instructions say (not sure if your machine would be the same)-once done, pour into your hot, sterilised jars- you can't use more ingrediants than that or it won't set-makes approx 1.5lb of jam

contact the manufacturer of your machine and they might send you some instructions for YOUR model of machine

hardpressed

I think Silver Spoon Sugar is made from sugar beet, grown in this country and Tate & Lyle suger comes from sugar cane.