Nectarine-Cherry is a low-sugar cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Universal Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed nectarine
- 1 cup mashed cherries
- ¼ cup lemon juice bottled
- 4 tsp calcium water see step #1
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tsp Pomona’s Universal Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
- Measure mashed nectarine and cherries into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice and mix well.
- Measure sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Leslie
Could I use plums or another fruit instead of the cherries (can’t find fresh right now). Or .. frozen cherries???
Shelby Collings
You can certainly use frozen cherries, they will just need to thawed before they are mashed and measured.
Plums would also be just fine!
Valerie
Do you have an estimate of how many pounds of nectarines I will need to buy to get 3 cups of mashed?
Shelby Collings
Probably between 2-3 pounds depending on how much “meat” there is on the fruit. Happy jamming!
Keke
What kind of cherries should I use for this? Sweet or sour?
Shelby Collings
We used dark, sweet cherries 😊
Penny
What size of jars is this for? Is there a chart somewhere for processing times for different sizes of jars?
Shelby Collings
Generally we recommend ½ pint (8 oz or 1 cup) jars for low-sugar jams and jellies. The ¼ pint (4 oz or ½ cup) are a good size also if you’re making the jam or jelly for gifts.
You can use 1 pint (2 cup) jars but it’s important to remember that a jar of low-sugar jam or jelly will last only about 3 weeks in the refrigerator once opened. So unless you and your family can eat 2 cups of jam in 3 weeks, it’s better to use the smaller jars.
The processing time for all three jar sizes of jam or jelly is the same.
Michelle
Could I use peaches instead of nectarines?
Shelby Collings
Hello Michelle,
You sure can! Happy jamming 😊