It's the same pectin, just an alternate available packaging. Both are available - box and canister.

Dave

Thanks - that wasn't clear on their website. Pepper Jelly recipe says to measure the pectin (believe it was 6 Tbsp, 3 for a half batch, so that would just be 1 box for a full batch).

I've been using the low/no sugar version in a canister and I love it. Same reliable results, but I can make my batch to fit the amount of produce I have instead of adapting it and ending up with a partial box.

It just makes sense. Now, if they'll do away with the plastic "jar" and package it in biodegradable cardboard boxes I'll REALLY be happy! LOL

Deanna

Yes, I've been using the Low/No Sugar Pectin all year. Just finished canning 29 half-pints of Strawberry Jam. Raspberry and Blackberry are next!

It's been working just fine.

I have the low/no sugar pectin that they sold in boxes last summer. Picked 2 buckets (5 pints?) of blueberries this afternoon. I'd like to try Blueberry Lime Jam, so many on this forum think it's good, any idea how much sugar to use with the low sugar pectin (instead of the 5C called for)? I have to say, I tried a low-sugar strawberry jam using their pectin earlier this year and was not impressed, so I'm a little leery. Maybe I didn't use *enough* sugar, but it wasn't sweet, and it was definitely stiffer than the no-pectin strawberry jam I made in June with local berries.

In fact, any ideas about how many limes (rinds and all?) and/or homemade apple pectin to use instead?

The whole advantage to the Ball no sugar pectin is that you can use how ever much sugar you want from 0 to 7 cups or more if you want it. It is added to your personal taste.

So you start out with 1/4 or 1/2 cup, taste it, add more and taste again. Add more a bit at a time until it tastes good to you.

You always taste before jarring. If it isn't right before you put it in the jar it isn't going to get better after it is in the jar. And jam made with pectin, any pectin, will always be "definitely stiffer" that jam made without pectin - that is a given.

Dave

Like Dave says, the no sugar pectin gives the maker all the control over the sweetness.
I helped my neighbors make grape jam the other day. Their recipe called for 5 cups of grape juice and 7 cups of sugar. The grapes were sweet and I told them that was stupid and that I'd run home and get my own pectin and use it in their jam.
We ended up still using 7 cups of sugar but used between 16 on 17 cups of juice and pulp for a batch (that is an extra 11 or 12 cups of fruit). They could not believe how over sweetened it would have been if they had used the approximate 22 cups of sugar their recipe called for. It would have been way too sweet (not very healthy either) for me to eat with that much sugar unless you are on the please give me Type 2 Diabetes Diet.
Jim in So Calif

OK on adding sugar to taste it using NS pectin, but think I can use maybe half the pectin called for, see how stiff it is? Can more NS pectin be added afterwards if needed? I know you can't do that with regular.

Actually, do blueberries *really* need pectin? I prefer a loose "preserve" type set, not a stiff jam. DH likes it a little thicker so it doesn't run off the PBJ. Thanks.

You can always use less pectin than called for regardless of the type of pectin used. Set is a matter of experimenting to get your personal preferences. What you find too stiff may be the ideal for others and vice versa. So each person has to do their own experiments with the amounts.

But a better approach rather than risking the entire batch is to use the amount of pectin called for but also use more fruit and juice for a softer set. It doesn't take much additional macerated fruit to change the set so do it with care.

The solution to jam/preserves that are too thick/hard set when the jar is opened is simply to add liquid to it. Apple juice works well for this.

But no, just like any other pectin, you can't add more pectin later.

Just to clarify - I wasn't thinking of adding more pectin after everything was cooked, but doing a plate test, then adding more and putting it back on the heat if it wasn't gelled enough.

Or does all commercial pectin gel right away (even in small quantities), no plate test required?

Maybe I should just experiment with the blueberry currant juice I bought at BJ's before I try it with my precious fresh fruit. Do blueberries have enough pectin that adding them to the juice/pectin/sugar mixture for a jam batch after the jelly experiment would change the set?

I love the Ball no Sugar Needed pectin! I started to experiment with the amount needed last Summer, since it seemed odd to add the entire box. Depending on the type of fruit, ripeness, size of the recipe, and other factors. I ended up using between 3-6 teaspoons for each batch. Most of my recipes call for less than three pounds of fruit, so they are small batches. Many recipes were using Christine Ferber's methods, and I used this pectin at the very end. My biggest complaint is that since they changed the packaging I cannot find the new jar in any of my local stores.