Comments on: Blueberry therapy

By: Daisy Mae

Daisy Mae — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:19:03 +0000

I guess I am confused by your statement “If you remove the sugar entirely, like we have done, you’re at risk unless you put your jam in the fridge or freezer”

The question I ask - What are you at risk for?

Maybe I’m thinking of this in terms of preservation standards set forth by the USDA for jam. The USDA recommends Boiling Water Bath canning for jams and jellies. This is the recommendation regardless of the quantity of sugar that you use. It is still “safer” to process your jam in a BWB than to just refrigerate. In this case, I refer to the term “safe” in terms of shelf life. You will have a longer shelf life by processing your jam.

Not processing (as in BWB) high-acid products like fruit is not “unsafe” per se. “Unsafe” is an inappropriate designation. The jars may not keep as well on the shelf because there’s a higher risk of oxidation, softening, mold, etc. even fermentation. But no one is going to get botulism or die. If any of these problems occur, you will see it and smell it and simply not consume the fruit or jam.

So some recommendations for heat processing are not safety-related so much as quality-related for longer shelf life and better preservation of the product you worked so hard to bottle. That’s why the American standard is to process these products by boiling water bath. But lots of Europeans do not process and health-wise they are not at risk.

But I still stand by my previous comment. Sugar does not affect acidity. And in the world of canning, acidity is is the barometer in which you measure safety in terms of botulism.

Even in the link you provide - acid and sugar are listed as separate ingredients. And are both added to the jam for separate purposes.

By: bostonlocalvores

bostonlocalvores — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:15:41 +0000

hey daisy mae, perhaps you’re right that sugar doesn’t affect acidity … but what we’ve read does suggest that it affects safety. maybe we’re using the term differently? check out some of the info from the minnesota extension office: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/dj1088.html

By: bostonlo

bostonlo — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:50:58 +0000

hey emily,

you’re so right! thanks for pointing that out.

By: Daisy Mae

Daisy Mae — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:17:13 +0000

I just want to correct your comment about sugar and the acidity of jam. Sugar does not affect acidity. Sugar is a preservative, which means that food (particularly fruit) with sugar added will retain more of its original color, taste, and texture. It also means that the jars will keep longer once you’ve opened them. You may not get the texture you’re expecting if you reduce or substitute sugar—for instance, your jams might not set. But since sugar does not affect acidity, it doesn’t affect safety.

By: Jana

Jana — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:02:29 +0000

Where did you get the blueberries?

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:50:02 +0000

Hey localvores,

I love you guys and everything you say and do, except I have a small quibble with your linking of the book you mention to amazon’s page.

Local bookstores are struggling as much as anyone, would it be possible to link any books you mention to either the author’s page or the local bookstore that sells it? (Porter square and harvard square bookstores both have online websites, for example).

Thanks for all you do.

By: Tweets that mention Blueberry therapy « boston localvores -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention Blueberry therapy « boston localvores -- Topsy.com — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:23:15 +0000

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