Pomona's Universal Pectin, 1.1 Ounce Box (Pack of 6)

I bought Pomona’s Universal Pectin in the 1.1 ounce pack of 2 specifically for making homemade fruit leather for my kids, and it has worked exactly how I hoped it would. What I love most about this pectin is that it lets me control the sweetness. I don’t have to load the fruit up with sugar just to get it to set properly. I can use the natural sweetness from the fruit and still get a soft, flexible texture that dries well and doesn’t crack. The fruit leather comes out smooth and easy to peel, not sticky or overly stiff. It gives just enough structure without making it tough. That was important to me because I wanted something my kids could chew easily without it feeling like candy. The instructions are clear and once you understand how it works with the calcium water, it’s very straightforward. A little goes a long way, so even the small containers last quite a while. If you’re trying to make fruit leather, jams, or other fruit snacks with less or no added sugar, this is a really useful ingredient to have on hand. It gives you flexibility and better control over the final texture.

2019 update: still my favorite! I have experimented with the amount of pectin to make syrups to conserves and jellies and jams. I love the fact that I can make products without sugar or with very little sugar. I have used pure stevia with great success. I have not used a stevia mix like those commonly availavle but I think it should work fine. It had been so long I don't even remember the old days of sugar sugar sugar and that does not bother me one bit. 2016 update: I put up about 60 jars of jam qand jelly last year and all sealed and made it through the winter well. I was set to teach my nephew to make jam and had Amazon send Pomona's Pectin to him. The dog ate it (to no ill effect thankfully) so we scrambled to find some elsewhere. No luck in 5 grocery stores and one chain natural foods store. Finally, I said just get the old standby and we used that. Confirmed my earlier belief. I was shocked at the amount of sugar it took to get a gel. There is no other pectin for me but Pomona's. 2015 update. After eating all of the jam I made in 2014--all with Pomona's--we are back to jamming season. The past year stood the test of time and we are happily using it again this year. Four batches in and four batches great. I substituted, per a professional jam maker's conversion, 2 TBS for each 1 3 oz liquid pectin on one recipe. It makes a nice steak :-). I will use half that amount next time round. This jelly set hard as a delicious rock. I am still amazed that I can use so little sugar and have a good product. Last year I used 1 sugar to 4 fruit and we decided it was a little less sweet than we liked. I upped the sugar : fruit ratio to 1 1/2 sugar to 4 fruit and increased the acid slightly. We are very pleased with the results. Interesting twist on pectin. This pectin uses calcium to set rather than sugar. You can use very little sugar and still get a very good jell. I won't go back to other pectins. I did have trouble with the first couple of batches and contacted the company. They were immediately responsive calling me back in just a short time after I left a message. They helped me track down my error. I was not mixing the pectin well enough with the small amount of sugar I was using so my texture was grainy. I made over 50 jars of jam in 10 batches and after the first two batches, which are certainly usable, my jams set with absolute reliability.

This stuff is awesome. The real flavor of the fruit comes out without all that awful sugar. And the website has many many recipes. They also send necessary proportions of ingredients so you can design your own recipes. I made a tropical flavor with mango, papaya, pineapple, a splash of coconut milk and dried grated coconut. Excellent! I also made cherry brandy, peach maple, peach amaretto, bourbon peach, peach cherry, and others. Everything set up and they were so easy to make. It still requires some sweetener, but not very much. You can use honey, agave, monk fruit, maple syrup or whatever you want. Even Stevie! And it's more like a half cup of honey versus 4 cups of sugar with "regular" pectin. I'll never use anything else.

Worked great! This was my first time using this product. I made a low-sugar vanilla bean kumquat jam and it jelled beautifully! I did also get some natural pectin by soaking the kumquat seeds, but what I was able to obtain wasn’t nearly enough to jell 12 cups of fruit and water. I used one packet of pectin together with 50% of the recommended sugar and 12 teaspoons Truvia (I know there’s a conversion to cups for this, but I measured in teaspoons). No weird cooling sensation or bitter taste. The resulting product jelled well - more of a “soft” texture that holds its shape than a hard one. Will continue to use this pectin in the future.

By far the most amazing discovery, ever! I made jam, set up nicely kind of jam….WITH HONEY!!! I made 4 batches total. 1. Standard amount of sugar 2. 2 cups sugar 3. 1 cup sugar 4. Honey, no sugar I tested each batch by how well it set up; ability to fully taste the fruit/berry used rather than just sweetness; level of sweetness. While each batch made with this pectin was fantastic…. The batches with 1 cup sugar and honey only, were my favorite. Adults, Kiddos (big and small) tested and approved. A+ I need this in bulk! Thank you!