Edible Preservation - Pectin: A Study of Form and Function
Written by Harriet Fasenfest
For Spring 2007
THERE IS A PARABLE I like to tell related to the form versus function debate. That debate, not unlike the chicken or egg controversy, questions what comes first and how we often take on forms or behaviors that no longer serve a purpose. Not surprisingly, the parable finds its best audiences with architects and first-year philosophy majors. But as a
Universalist-cum-food preserver, I offer it now as a lovely, if not tangential, segue to today’s discussion on pectin. It goes like this:
A little girl was watching her mother bake a ham and noticed that she cut off the end of the ham before putting it in the oven. The girl asked why. Her mother said, “Because my mother did it that way.” So the little girl went to her grandmother, and asked her why she cut off the end of the ham before putting it in the oven. And her grandmother said, “Because my mother did it that way.” Being blessed with a healthy and thriving matriarchal line, the little girl went to her great grandmother, and asked her why she cut off the end of the ham before putting it in the oven. And she said, “Oh, I don’t do that anymore. I only used to because my pan was too small.”
I love that story. It is a perfect example of our tendency to take on form and traditions even as they outlive functionality. In most cases the folly is benign and, like the ham, represents no more than a wasted stroke. Other times, like the proverbial unexamined life, the consequences are more severe. But then there is the middle ground, and in the case of pectin, the reliance on form versus function stands in for nothing more than a missed opportunity for creativity, serendipity, and jam making outside the box.
You know the pectin boxes—pink, yellow, blue, low sugar, no sugar and natural. Boxes that stand as the gatekeepers to jam making success, and whose enclosed instructions befuddle the intrepid jam maker in us all. But there is hope, and it starts with knowing what pectin is and what its role is in making jams, marmalades, conserves and jellies set.
Pectin is a natural jelling agent found in plants. It is a polysaccharide and is especially abundant in certain fruits like blackberries, gooseberries, tart apples, quinces, red currants, cranberries, oranges and lemons. However, like acid and sugar, pectin exists to varying degrees in all fruit. Generally, under ripe or very tart fruit has the highest level of pectin, so when using those fruits, you generally have no need for additional pectin.
It is when using low-pectin fruit, such as our prized strawberries and raspberries, that additional pectin is needed. But even here there is no need to reach for the box. You can pump up the pectin by using fruits high in pectin, such as currants or cranberries, in combination with another low in pectin such as strawberries. If, however, you want a single fruit flavor and are using low-pectin fruit, you can raise the pectin level by adding your own homemade liquid pectin. Homemade liquid fruit pectin is easy to make, store and use and adds to the overall “homesteader” experience of jam and jelly making.
Liquid pectin can be made with a variety of high-pectin fruits. Currants and cranberries, among others, can be used. But for a mild flavor that will not permeate the final product, we suggest using quince or the more available tart, early-drop apples that scatter under trees in the spring.
I hope you are not thinking there can be no place for boxed pectin in your cupboard. I would hate to put off those new to food preservation by appearing vigilant. In fact, store-bought pectin became popular for several good reasons. To begin with, it is a great aid to jam and jelly makers with limited free time or for those altogether new to cooking. Also, making your own pectin or using fruits in combination do not always end with the consistent results you might get from using boxed pectin. For those who cannot abide a certain measure of trial and error, I don’t suggest straying from tradition. To that end, Marge, my sensible partner in Preserve, keeps tradition alive by offering some no-nonsense information on boxed pectin. I am sure to succumb to the allure myself when my personal stash of homemade pectin is gone.
But remember, as with all aspects of food preservation, making homemade liquid pectin returns you to a process that has its form and function within the systems of the natural world. And for me, that amounts to a much, much bigger pan.
Harriet Fasenfest and Marge Braker teach classes in home food preservation at Preserve. Find out more at www.portlandpreserve.com.
RECIPE - STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CARDAMOM JAM
MARGE SAYS:
I love to know how things work, so making pectin and old-fashioned cooked jam has a certain appeal. But due to the underappreciated science involved, choosing commercial pectin to make jams and jellies can be a smart idea.
As mentioned, there are many choices on the grocer’s shelf, but I will make the assumption that you want to make a jam that is less sweet, full of fruit flavor, and as foolproof as possible.
In a nutshell, sugar, acid and pectin are the triumvirate of jam making. Varying any of them in your grandmother’s jam recipe will likely render syrup. (Enjoy the surprise on pancakes or ice cream.) But there is hope in the form of Pomona’s Universal Pectin.
Pomona’s pectin firmly jells fruit sweetened with any amount of honey, sugar or fruit juice. It is versatile and easy to use. Unlike the other brands of pectin, Pomona’s Universal Pectin contains a packet of pure dried pectin plus a separate packet of food-grade monocalcium phosphate, a common food additive that provides the calcium needed to jell low-sugar jams.
Each 1-ounce box of Pomona’s will make 2–4 jam or jelly recipes. It’s available at local grocers, especially those featuring organic products.
