FRUIT JUICE
Use 100% fruit juice to make good quality jelly. This juice can be freshly made or commercially produced, it needs to be 100% juice to ensure a good flavour and jelly consistency. When extracting juice, do not press pulp – pressing results in a cloudy jelly appearance. Use good quality, ripe fruit (under ripe fruit has poor flavour) to ensure as much natural pectin and acidity to help the jelly set plus give a jewel-like colour to your preserve. Make fruit pulp into fruit leathers.
PECTIN
Pectin is what creates the jelly consistency. All fruit has natural pectin and this pectin is extracted from the fruit during the simmering process when separating the fruit juice from the fruit pulp. Low-pectin fruits need added (commercial) pectin, which is in either powdered or liquid form. When using commercial pectin, the cooking process is shorter and the results are more reliable (you will have a perfect set, every time) compared to no-pectin jelly recipes that need boiling to gel stage. If making low-sugar/no-sugar jelly, follow the pectin packaging for directions.
ACID
Most fruit is high enough in acidity. Lemon juice is added to fruit juices that are lower in acidity (i.e. berries) to help the jelly set. This acidity is also what helps to preserve your jelly for long-term storage.
SUGAR
When combined with pectin and acid, sugar creates the jelly consistency. Sugar quantities can ONLY be lowered for low-sugar jelly recipes (i.e. using low-sugar pectin and stevia). Sugar also helps to preserve your jelly for long-term storage. White sugar is normally used in jelly recipes.
