damages the pectin. Failures can sometimes
be rescued by the addition of a commercial
liquid pectin preparation and/or cream of
tartar or lemon juice, and a brief reboiling.
Too much acid can cause weeping of fluid
from an overfirm gel.
Uncooked and Unsweetened “Preserves”
Modern preserve making has been
transformed by the availability of
concentrated pectin, extracted and purified
from citrus and apple wastes, which can be
added to any crushed fruit, cooked or not, to
guarantee a firm gel. “Freezer jams” are made
by loading up crushed fresh fruit with
supplemental pectin and sugar, letting them
sit for a day while the pectin molecules slowly
form their network and form the gel, and then
“preserving” them in the refrigerator or
freezer (the uncooked fruit would otherwise
soon be spoiled by sugar-tolerant molds and
yeasts). Pectin is also used to make clear jelly