By
W. George Elliot
Have you ever wondered what the difference between jam and jelly is?
There is a definite distinction that sets both of these canning products
apart - but there is also a great deal of similarities. The simple
answer is that one contains juice and flesh from a fruit or vegetable
where the other only contains the juice. However, there is a bit more to
the explanation that clearly defines the difference between jam and
jelly.
Spreading A Little Jam
When it comes to preserving,
jam is one of the most common because it uses much more of the fruit or
vegetable produced into a spreadable food. Essentially a jam is a soft,
firm canned item that contains a combination of the flesh and juice of
the item being preserved. The term 'jam' is defined as something that is
made from whole fruit that has been cut, chopped or crushed into
smaller pieces. It is then heated with boiling water and sugar. The
chemical reaction this creates activates the natural pectin contained in
the fruit prior to being sealed in jars.
There is some science
involved in preserving a good quality jam. Typically recipes call for
the flesh and juice of a single variety of fruit or vegetable and many
of them have a high enough amount of natural pectin in them that packets
of additional pectin are not required. Examples of these kinds of
fruits include cranberries, plums, apples and blackberries. Other fruit
that contain lower amounts of natural pectin can produce quality jams
when combined with fruits with higher natural pectin. For example,
cherries, peaches, rhubarb and strawberries can be mixed with apples to
make a great jam without having to add additional pectin.
Jiggling Like A Bowl of Jelly
Here's
where the difference between jam and jelly becomes clearer. A jelly is a
fruit spread that is clear or translucent and is made from the juice
from sweetened fruit. The similarity to jam is that both products use
naturally occurring pectin in order to set or gel. The second difference
between jam and jelly comes from the final product. A jelly is not as
firm as a jam as it does not contain pieces of fruit. Also, if the juice
of the fruit or vegetable being used does not contain enough pectin to
properly set then additional pectin may be required. The solution to
this may come from combining fruit or adding store-bought pectin from a
pouch.
The juice used for jelly comes from a filtering or
straining of cut, crushed, chopped and cooked down fruit. The cooking of
the fruit assists with both juice and pectin extraction when filtering
takes place. There are jelly bags available on the market just for this
purpose and there is a very simple, yet strict, method to the straining.
Typically the bag is suspended over a bowl by string with gravity doing
all the work. Squeezing the bag to speed up the process is not
recommended as it may force some pulp into the jelly mixture. This is
not a problem for some home canners where others adhere to the
requirements of their recipe to the letter. Jelly is also a bit more
versatile than jam in that the spectrum is wider in what fruit or
vegetables can be used which is why there are such selections a grape or
apple jelly all the way to spicy jellies containing hot peppers and
additional fruits and vegetables.
The Bonus Round
Probably the best reason for canning and
preserving jams or jellies is that it is an easy way to extend the
lifespan of a harvest. Properly sealed and processed jams and jellies
allow you to enjoy the great fruit and vegetable product from your
garden or local market well after harvest time. The healthy extra is
that regardless of the difference between jam and jelly, both are going
to be lower in calories than some other spreadable choices used with
toast, crackers or right out of the jar.
Now that you have a
better understanding of what a jam or jelly is, do you know what
marmalade is? Marmalade is a fruit spread that is produced using the
juice and peel of citrus fruits. There is no chopped, cut or crushed
flesh in the mixture which is boiled in water and sugar to activate
natural pectin. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes produce excellent
marmalade as does combinations of these fruit. Again, there are some
similarities to jams and jellies but this is still in a category of its
own along with the difference between jam and jelly.
Learn more about home canning by visiting http://www.JamBusters.ca today!
Article Source:
Ezine Articles
