Home Made Pectin stock Recipe

Home Made Pectin Stock
you can make your own pectin stock from either apples or citrus fruits. I use apples as citrus stock is somewhat bitter and more expensive to make (unless you have access to free citrus).
Take 1.8kg of washed cooking apples or crab apples. Slice and place in stainless steel or enamel saucepal. Don't bother peeling or coring etc, just cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the apples are mushy and then strain through a metal sieve, pushing much of the plup through into another pot.
Leave this overnight. The next day bring back to the boil and reduce the liquid by half. If you reduce it more you will have stronger pectin stock.
This homemade stock iwll keep for couple of days in the fridge or you can freeze it (though this reduces the pectin content). You can bottle the stock in sterilised jars/bottles for storage.
If using this homemade stock use about 285ml of your stock per 1.8kg of very low pectin fruit (like strawberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches, pears, rhubarb etc), about 140ml for fruit with medium content of pectin (apricots, loganberries, rapsberries and early blackberries), and less than 70ml for fruit with high content of pectin (apples, blackcurrants, cranberries, damsons, plums, quince, redcurrants).
if home made stock is too much effort just buy the liquid (though it must be stored in fridge after opening) or pectin powder which just lasts and lasts.
Pectin is a gelling agent so your jam will set every time without a fail.
IF you use pectin (I use powder if I don't have any home made stock) you can reduce the sugar or leave it out completely. I cook my jams in small batches 1kg at a time as it cooks in 5 minutes only. If using the powder mix into cold fruit, cook for 1 minute before adding sugar if using any then bring to boil, cook for 1-2 minutes and you are done!

l just asked a question on the other thread

Do you put the pectin stock in with the raw fruit or later on!

l want to make the jam with using no sugar just a squirt of sucaryl syrup

Thanks for posting

Yes always into cold fruit - at least that is how I do it and my mum and grandma used too.never failed.
I make lots of jams without sugar. Used home grown stevia too but kids didn't like the taste (I guess you got to get used to it first.) - I tried that last year but since then they have been taking leaves off the plant and eating it by itself so I guess I could try that again.

Thank you for that makespacenow l will try it

I'd personally like to say thank you for your information.

You're welcome. Will post how to test for pectin over the w-end.

If you have your own apple trees immature windfall apples would work well.

l went and picked up all my windfalls and cooked them up then re read the recipe and see l only needed 1.8kgs after l had cooked them all up and strained them

They were mostly ripe and stew up so easy so l am looking forward to the pectin test to see how good they are

l am hoping to have a day inside tomorrow bottling beetroot and making jam and hope the power doesn't go off

Testing Fruit for Pectin
Different fruits have different amounts of pectin - it can vary according to season and ripeness of the fruit. The only way to know if you have enought pectin for a good set is to test for it. If you add too much pectin your jam will be pretty solid, it comes down to judgment as well as recipes (or experience).
Take one teaspoon of clear fruit juice and drop into a cold glass or cup, allow it to cool for a minute then add three teaspoons of methylated spirit and stir around or gently shake. If a large clot forms from the juice, adequate pectin for a good set has been extracted.
If there is only medium amount of pectin - several small clots will form (so worth adding more pectin to ensure a good set).
If there is very little pectin content it will break into small pieces and you will definitely need additional pectin.
--- this is when you know you will need some of your home made pectin stock/pectin powder.
If you are reducing the amount of sugar/not using any you will definitely need the pectin stock/powder otherwise your jam/spread will not set.
Adding Pectin
If you think the furit you are using should have enough pectin but the test says otherwise simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes and re-test.
If after further boiling your test shows that your fruit is still lacking in pectin you can add homemade stock/powder to re-test.
I use 1kg fruit to max 350g of sugar no water etc (variations for jams with vanilla pods etc of course), just bit of pectinand few drops of lemon juice(depending on level of natural pectin of fruit between the 70ml - 140ml or 1-2 gm of powder). If I make sugar free 'jam' (apparently fruit spread in nz as our law does not allow it to be called 'jam' if less than 40 % sugar content.) I only add 1kg fruit and 2-4gm of pectin powder or 100 - 240ml of pectin stock depending on the fruit I am using (low/high natural pectin content).
I only do jam/spread in small batches as using pectin helps it to set fast (about 5 minutes total).and cooking it this fast means that the jam retains that 'fruity' taste.
Hope it all makes sense, didn't get much sleep.
oh if you are looking to buy pectin,
I think liquid is certo (though they have to be kept in fridge after opening)
or powder forms (keeps long time if bag is resealed) like Gelfix, will add more brands after re checking the local health store.

Probably a dumb ! but l take it you mean that l get juice from the apple and test it that way!

Thank you for all your hard work typing all this info out l learn so much from here

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