Pectin: the easy recipe for making a natural thickener for homemade jam
There pectin is a polysaccharide present in different types of fruits, including apples, plums and citrus fruits, used as natural thickener to gel and best preserve homemade jams and marmalades.
At the industrial level, it is made from citrus fruits or apple peels to which preservatives, chemicals and sweeteners are added; powdered pectin thus produced can be purchased in supermarkets and grocery stores, but it is really easy to do at home: in fact they are enough gave a sweet, water e lemon juice to obtain an amber jelly to be stored in sterilized jars.
In addition, as a soluble plant fiber, pectin has various properties that it exerts benefits on our body: among other things, it promotes intestinal regularity, reduces the production of cholesterol and slows down the absorption of sugars.
Here are all the steps to prepare homemade pectin in minutes.
How to make natural pectin at home
Step 1
Step 1
Start preparing the pectin by washing the apples, then cut them into pieces without peeling them and remove the core 1.
Start preparing the pectin by washing the apples, then cut them into pieces without peeling them and remove the core 1.
2nd step
2nd step
Put them in a large saucepan, add the water and lemon juice and boil the mixture for about forty minutes, it will have to reduce by almost half 2. Then strain it using a gauze or clean cloth.
Put them in a large saucepan, add the water and lemon juice and boil the mixture for about forty minutes, it will have to reduce by almost half 2. Then strain it using a gauze or clean cloth.
Step 3
Step 3
At this point you have two alternatives: you can boil the juice for another 20 minutes or let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours. You can then pour it into sterilized jars 3 and store it in the refrigerator.
At this point you have two alternatives: you can boil the juice for another 20 minutes or let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours. You can then pour it into sterilized jars 3 and store it in the refrigerator.
Advise
We used Granny Smiths, but you can choose the variety of apples you prefer: the preparation also works perfectly with quinces or red apples.
storage
You can store the pectin jar in a cool, dry place for a few months. Once opened, keep it in the refrigerator and consume it within a few days.
How much pectin to use to make excellent jam?
There is no single answer to this question, because the amount of pectin to use varies according to the type of fruit chosen: strawberry jam, for example, requires more pectin than orange marmalade, because the oranges naturally contain more pectin than some strawberries.
In general, however, the amount of pectin to be used should match the 20% of clean fruit weight.
