Cut sugar by making jellies

Many people today are interested in reducing the amount of sugar in their diet. In regular jams and jellies, the sugar cannot be reduced or eliminated without affecting the quality of the product because the sugar works with the pectin to help form the gel.

Fortunately, today there are lots of options for reduced-sugar or all-natural fruit spreads. Here are two methods that are easy and require no cooking:

The first is a very easy no-cook method that results in a fabulous naturally sweet jam.

Start with dried fruit and unsweetened juice or fruit-juice concentrate. Use 2 cups dried apricots or other dried fruit or combinations of dried fruits. Cover the dried fruit in unsweetened fruit juice, such as pineapple juice or a mild flavored fruit juice concentrate like white grape juice concentrate. Soak the fruit overnight or until soft. Once the fruit is soft it can be blended into a jam.

The second method of making a fresh-tasting, naturally sweet spread is dehydrating a chunky fruit pure until it reaches the consistency of a jam. You can prepare this jam in the oven, in an electric dehydrator or outdoors on a sunny, hot day. It takes about 2- 4 hours for the jam to thicken in a dehydrator or oven, longer in the sun. Stir the jam once per hour.

If your oven's lowest heat setting is 120 to 130 degrees, you can use it to dehydrate the fruit pure. Leave the door open several inches. Dehydrate the fruit pure in a shallow-rimmed baking pan covered with plastic wrap. Secure the edges of the plastic wrap to the underside of the pan with tape. If your oven doesn't have a setting that low, bake the pure in a baking dish at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes or until it is the consistency of jam. Stir every 20 minutes or so.

If you dehydrate in the sun, pour the pure into any baking pan and cover with plastic wrap, leaving open one inch on one long side. Your baking pan can be put into a shallow box and the box covered with a thin fabric or cheesecloth to keep insects out. Sun dry on days that are at least 85 degrees or warmer.

If you have a dehydrator, set at 130 degrees and spread the fruit pure to about 3/8 inch thick on a dehydrator tray designed for making fruit leather. Or cover a dehydrator tray with plastic wrap and secure the edges with tape.

Directions for dehydrated fruit jam:

Prepare 2 cups chunky fruit pure. Try using peaches, raspberries or strawberries. For best flavor, start with fully ripe, peak-season fruit. Wash unpeeled fruit, rinse well and dry. Or use frozen or canned fruit.

The pure can be sweetened with a little sugar or honey. Try using 2-4 tablespoons sugar or honey per cup of pure. Or if you prefer, slightly over-dry the pure and then add fruit juice concentrate for a sweeter flavor.

Pour jam into prepared pan for dehydrating. About once per hour, scrape jam from the edges with a spatula and stir, then spread evenly again.

Dry until jam is almost the thickness you prefer. It will thicken slightly as it cools. At this point, you can stir in a little more sugar, honey or concentrated fruit juice to taste.

Both types of no-cook jams can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to six days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

For other ideas, request "Making Jams and Jellies with Little or No Sugar" by calling the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Office at 636-8920.

CSU Cooperative Extension will offer a Jam, Jelly and Pie Filling class 6-8 p.m. July 31. Low-sugar fruit spreads will also be demonstrated. The cost of the class is $5. Preregister by calling 636- 8920.

Ryan is a consumer and family-education agent for Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Contact the Springs extension office: 636-8920

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