Fruit Preserves

Caution- once you make your own preserves, there's no going back! Unlike most store-bought preserves, jams and jellies that contain water, juice & additives like pectin (gelling agent), sorbates etc., homemade preserves contain the WHOLE fruit and no unnecessary additives. You can decide which sweetener you prefer in order to control the flavor & sugar/calorie content. And by simply cooking the fruit in its own juices, your homemade preserves will thicken/gel as the water is cooked-off and the naturally-occurring pectin develops a gel network.

Depending on the fruit & the desired texture you like, you may need a blender (immersion blender or stand blender) to puree some or all of the fruit. I find that raspberries, plums and peaches benefit from some degree of blending/chopping so that there aren't large chunks of fruit &/or an excess of seeds in the finished product. When using blueberries &/or strawberries, I don't blend or chop as the berries breakdown sufficiently during cooking. There are still some small chunks of berries in the finished product, which I find pleasing. If you do decide to blend/puree, I recommend that you do so when the fruit is warm/soft and has released plenty of water. Once blended, proceed with cooking-off the water to concentrate the preserves & then fill into sanitized jars.

The main reasons I started making my own preserves was to control the sugar content, avoid corn-derived xylitol & citric acid & to save money. I wanted to use birch xylitol as the sweetener to reduce the sugar-content/glycemic index of the preserves, and I wanted to use an acid that was not derived from corn. Most xylitol, xylitol-containing products & citric acid are made from GMO or Non-GMO corn, so be aware of that if you are grain-sensitive &/or if you are avoiding GMO grain products that contain harmful pesticide-residues. There is a significant price difference between birch xylitol and corn xylitol, so be prepared to pay more for birch xylitol. Don't be misled by "organic xylitol", as organic simply means that the xylitol is made from organic (Non-GMO) corn. If you are mold-sensitive &/or have a grain sensitivity/allergy, you should avoid citric acid since citric acid is most commonly made by mold fermentation of corn sugar. That said, fresh-squeezed, organic lemon juice is a great alternative to citric acid as it provides the necessary acid to lower the pH & will not contain potential irritants/allergens such as corn, pesticides &/or mold residues.

The store-bought brand of xylitol preserves I used to purchase was pretty expensive and contained a lot of "gelled water" with a little fruit thrown-in for color and a weak hint of flavor. There's no comparison to homemade preserves and there's no turning back once you make your own! The deep, rich color, flavor and the smooth texture is like nothing you'll find on a grocery store shelf.

The recipe below is for Strawberry Blueberry Preserves, but you can use any fruit you'd like in place of the berries. Other favorites of mine are fig, blueberry-peach and raspberry-peach. Plum is also delicious! I keep frozen organic fruit in my freezer at all times to use for preserves. A digital thermometer is helpful in determining the endpoint for cooking. If you don't cook enough water-off, the preserves won't thicken/gel enough and will be more like a fruit syrup. If you overcook, the preserves can get too thick and may crystallize.

Heat-protective gloves, long-sleeves and eye protection/face shield are recommended to protect you from hot fruit juice that may splatter while you're stirring/cooking/filling.

Ingredients:

3 Cups Strawberries, Frozen (~ 25 large)*

3 Cups Blueberries, Frozen*

1/2 Cup Water, Purified

3 Cups birch Xylitol, fine granulation*

1.5 tsp. Citric Acid (or 6 TB Lemon Juice, Fresh*)

1/4 tsp. Salt

*Note: Organic if possible

Instructions:

1) Cook the fruit & water in a pot (I use a ceramic-lined cast-iron dutch oven) on stove-top, with the lid on until the frozen fruit defrosts and releases its juices/water.

2) If desired, use an immersion/stick blender or transfer fruit to a stand blender and puree as desired. Keep in mind the fruit will breakdown to some extent during cooking, so don't over-blend unless you want a smooth, jelly-like texture. I do not use a blender for strawberries or blueberries because they breakdown enough during the cooking process.

3) Add birch xylitol & salt to the fruit in the pot and stir using a heat-resistant spatula while cooking. I recommend protecting your hands, arms and eyes with protective gear since the hot fruit mixture can splatter and burn.

4) Cook until fruit mixture reaches 219 F, add citric acid or lemon juice, mix using heat-resistant ladle & fill into clean, sterilized glass mason jars. Do not exceed 220 F or the preserves will likely crystallize once jarred and refrigerated.

5) Cap tightly, invert the jars on the counter, let cool to ambient, then refrigerate. You should hear the safety seals "pop" inward once the jars form a seal during cooling.

Yield:

~ 34 Ounces