If your jam or jelly is too thick, the first question to ask is: Is it spreadable? The Pomona’s jell could be stiffer or firmer than you are used to, but it should be spreadable. If it’s not spreadable, then something went wrong.
The most usual cause for a too firm or rubbery texture with Pomona's is that you used less fruit than the recipe called for. Our recipes are calculated for mashed fruit. So if you use pieces of fruit or whole berries, you are actually using less fruit than if it were mashed, or cooked to a mash and then measured, and you will get a firmer jell.
Or you may have used more pectin than the recipe called for. For example, if you used Tablespoons of pectin rather than teaspoons.
Cooking can also affect the amount of fruit you are working with. For example, if you cook the fruit mixture for too long before adding pectin, you could reduce the fruit volume and make the pectin amount too high for the fruit you have left.
It is less likely that your jam would be too firm from overcooking after adding the pectin. Usually if you cook jam made with Pomona's for too long after adding the pectin, it will de-activate the pectin and you will get a poor jell.
If you want to use cut up pieces of fruit or whole berries and suspend them in a jelled syrup, that is what we call a preserve.
Strawberry-Vanilla Preserves, a recipe from our cookbook that is on our website, is an example of how to make a preserve with Pomona's. You'll notice that less pectin is used in this recipe for 4 cups of strawberry fruit mixture than for 4 cups of mashed strawberries. There are a couple of other preserve recipes on our website Recipe Page also.
All of this being said, the typical Pomona's jell is more like a fruit spread than a gloppy high-sugar jam. If you prefer a softer set, you can always use less pectin than called for in our recipes. We would suggest you experiment by using ¼ to ½ teaspoon less pectin than the recipe calls for, or perhaps up to a teaspoon less for recipes that call for 4 teaspoons of pectin. You would keep the calcium water amount the same.
If your jam or jelly didn't jell, you can learn more about why that might be and how to fix it here.
Shirley Garner
My pear preservers are too thick turning into hard sugar. Didn’t use any pectin just sugar. What to do? Can I reheat, add more juice, and Certo Liquid Pectin? If so how much? I have 2 batches!! So sad😞
Shelby Collings
Hello Shirley,
We are not familiar with Certo Liquid Pectin and cannot advise on how to use it.
If you would like recook your pear preserves using Pomona’s Pectin, please email us at info@pomonapectin.com with the recipe you followed.
Aaron Marie Schumacher
So I made habanero pepper jelly the other day, and I’ve been cooking it up for about a year and have never had any issues but…….
It’s super thick and rubbery, any ideas to what ingredient I can add to the re-boiled mixture to make it more spreadable??
Thank you for anyones ideas….
Shelby Collings
Hello there,
Thanks so much for reaching out!
Empty jars into sauce pan. Add the additional juice, water or mashed fruit (to decide how much to use, you will need to determine how firm your jam is. If you’d say it. is 25% more firm than you would like, you will add 25% of the fruit/juice called for in the recipe (probably 1 cup, if you were using a 4 cup recipe)). Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Stir for 1 minute. When mixture returns to a full boil, remove from the heat. Fill into clean, hot jars and process according to the Recipe sheet that comes with Pomona’s Pectin.
Please let us know if you have any other questions, happy jamming!
Kindly,
Shelby
Sue
Just to clarify, if my beach plum jelly turns out too stiff I just need to melt it, add in more beach plum juice. Bring it to a quick boil and the can properly. Do I need to add more pectin? I’m afraid the heat will deactivate the pectin. Thanks!
Shelby Collings
That is correct! It should be good-to-go 😊
Carolyn
I just finished making a batch of Guava preserves leaving in the seeds and it is very thick. Should I add more water to thin it out some?
Thank you.
Shelby Collings
You certainly can!
Empty jars into saucepan. Add the additional juice, water or mashed fruit (to decide how much to use, you will need to determine how firm your jam is. If you’d say it. is 25% more firm than you would like, you will add 25% of the fruit/juice called for in the recipe (probably 1 cup, if you were using a 4 cup recipe)). Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Stir for 1 minute. When mixture returns to a full boil, remove from the heat. Fill into clean, hot jars and process according to the Recipe sheet that comes with Pomona’s Pectin.
Jean Atwater-Williams
You say “We would suggest you experiment by using ¼ to ½ teaspoon less pectin than the recipe calls for, or perhaps up to a teaspoon less for recipes that call for 4 teaspoons of pectin. You would keep the calcium water amount the same.”
Do you mean keep the calcium water the same as what the recipe calls for or the same as the amount of pectin?
Shelby Collings
Great questions Jean! We meant that it would stay the same as the recipe calls for originally.
Happy jamming!
Mari
Will my jam loose color. I used Pomona pectin for peach jam, but since it uses less sugar, I don’t want it to turn a not so appealing jam. If so, what can I do to keep the color of peaches?
Shelby Collings
Hello Jean,
Yes, overtime the jam will oxidize since it is not loaded with sugar and preservatives. You can add 1 tsp citric acid or additional lemon juice.
Lindsey Smith
I reduced the pectin in my apple pear spread recipe by 1/2 tsp and it turned out AMAZING.
Andrea Varney
Shelby, Thanks so much for calling me back today! I added 1/4-1/3 volume of juice and redid per your instructions and it worked out much better! Thank you!
Lisa Hays
July 20, 2020 Someone gave me her pectin. It had passed the expiration date. The ‘donor suggested adding more pectin to be sure the jam would thicken. Well, the ex-
pirating date meant nothing. The jam came out like rubber. (Note: Pectin lasts at least
two years beyond expiration date.)
I dumped all the jam back into the pan. I added 2 TB of Lemon Juice and 1/4 cup
Strawberry Syrup, a Cup of warm Water and using med heat brought it back to a rolling boil. I boiled on med-high (stirring constantly) for 5 Minutes.. MY JAM CAME
OUT PERFECTLY. Delicious and the perfect spreading consistency. TRY IT!
Ra Jovanelly
I used Pomona pectin and made perfect apricot jam. However, now I’ve made cherry jam twice and it’s way too stiff. I
followed the exact method when I made apricot. I really thought my second batch of cherry was perfect when I jarred it, but it’s too jelled. Any suggestions?
Shelby Collings
Hi there,
Bummer! If you would like to recook your jam, we would recommend placing all the contents of your cherry jam into a pot, and adding about 1 cup of cherry juice, apple juice or water. Bring your mixture just to a boil. Recan into hot, clean jars. Then proceed with another 10 minute water-bath can.
Happy jamming!
Odette
Hello, my Monkey freezer jam that I made is too dense and not spreadable. I’m thinking of adding juice (pineapple or apple?) to it, perhaps with a little coconut cream. Then, return it to the fre.ezer. What do you think?
Shelby Collings
Hello Odette,
Adding some juice to thin it and some coconut cream both sound like great additions…as long as it will be frozen and not for shelf canning. Happy jamming!
Debby Chappell
Hi Shelby
I made four 500 ml (2 cups) of cooked strawberry jam using pectin and it turned out quite thick. I’m not completely sure what went wrong..maybe older berries! I am interested in trying to recook it by adding water. Would you have any idea how much water I should use per cup or should I just eyeball it? Any advice would certainly be appreciated!
Shelby Collings
Hi Debby,
Thanks so much for reaching out! I would have to say that eyeballing it would be best…my best guess would be 1/2 cup or no sugar added juice or water.
Happy jamming!
Shelby Collings
Hello Caroline,
Yes, you can use Pomona’s to make jam in your electric jam maker or bread machine. You will need to follow a Pomona’s recipe and the basic directions for Cooked Jam – Low Sugar or Honey for it to work properly.
You need to mash & measure the fruit into a bowl. If our recipe is too big for your machine, then you can do a half recipe. Add the calcium water & lemon juice (if called for) and stir well. Then mix the pectin into the sugar (or other sweetener) and then add the pectin-sweetener mix into the bowl of fruit and stir well. Then put the bowl of jam mixture into the machine and turn it on.
Caroline Harris
I have a Ball fresh tec jam maker, it stirs and boils it for me and has a timer, can I use the recipes with my jam maker..
thank you
Kim
I just made a double batch of jalapeño jelly that is too thick and not spreadable. What can I do? I know I can add the jars back to a pan and warm it up but how much liquid do I add and do I add more pectin?
Shelby Collings
Hello Kim,
Yes, empty your jars back into a pot and add liquid, then heat to just before a boil, and proceed with re-canning and water-bath processing. If you used 4 cups of liquid in your jelly, and you would say that you would like your jelly to be about 1/4 less jelled, you would want to add 1 cup of liquid and NO additional pectin.
Denise
I have two triple batches of pepper jelly (25 cups) that I’ve made before with success that is over-jelled. The only things I did different for these batches compared to my successful ones are 1) used frozen & defrosted chopped peppers 2) added the pectin to 4 cups of sugar rather than 1-1/2, but since I had over 5 cups of peppers (measured prior to freezing) I thought that should work. This is a full sugar recipe with a total of 15 cups of sugar per triple batch.
What do you think caused the over-jelling and is there anything I can do to correct it? I can’t sell them in the condition they are in. Thank you for your help.
Shelby Collings
Hello Denise,
Thanks so much for choosing Pomona’s Pectin! You can recook your jelly by emptying all your jars back into a pot,adding more liquid, cleaning your jars, and then proceeding proper water bath canning.
Once you add your jelly back to the pot, add additional liquid, and bring back up to a boil. Turn off heat and proceed with water bath canning.
If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us: 559-760-0910 or info@pomonapectin.com
Kindly,
Shelby
Denise
Thank you for your response. Is there any reason I can’t also add some more peppers? Also, would it be wise to heat up the jelly, heat up the liquid/peppers and then add it to the point that the jelly looks like the right consistency and then bring to a boil? Or, is that not a sure bet?
Thanks!!
Shelby Collings
That should work just fine Denise.
Happy jamming!
Bryant
What type of liquid should I add in when reheating my batch of pepper jelly. Because the jelly came out too thick want it to be more of a jam. Thank you.
Shelby Collings
Hi there,
You can add water or any no sugar added juice.
Happy jamming!
Tracy
Hi, I used a sugar substitute for myblueberry jam and it turned out grainy and thick mess. I know that I didn’t use enough fruit. Can I salvage it by not adding any additional sugar/juice? Thanks for your help.
Shelby Collings
Hello Tracy,
I cannot think of any way around adding more liquid if your would like to change the consistency of your jam. If you do not wish to use juice or anymore sweetener, you could choose to add water, but I am not sure how that will turn our taste wise.
Kindly,
Shelby
Sue
What can I do to make it less stiff? Can I empty the jars and add more fruit. I did not chop the sour cherries. I
And don’t mash very well so I probably need to add fruit. I used 8 cups of fruit and juice and added 4 tsp calcium water and 4 tsp of pectin.
I’d like to redo it as soon as I hear from you how to do that.
Thank you. Love your product.
Shelby Collings
Hello Sue,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us over here at Pomona’s. Sorry to hear that your labor of love for your Cherry Jam did not repay the favor for you!
Click here for a link to troubleshoot possible reasons why your Jam was too thick.
Click here for a link for general troubleshooting.
In order to loosen up your jam a bit I would recommend adding all your jars back into a pot. I would then suggest buying a jar of cherry juice (or any juice you prefer) from the grocery store, boiling 1-2 cups of that juice, then pureeing that juice with 1-2 teaspoons of Pomona’s Pectin for about 1 minute in a blender or food processor.
Add the, now liquid, pectin-juice into your cherry mixture and bring to a boil. Proceed with your water bath canning process.
Hope this information provides you with some lovely jam.
Kindly,
Shelby
Sue
Thank you Shelby. Your suggestion worked perfectly and the sour cherry juice I used gave it an even richer color. It now is spreadable.
How nice to get help so quickly. I was in a panic after spending all that time picking and pitting all those cherries.
Shelby Collings
You are so very welcome. Wonderful news!! I am so thrilled for you Sue!
We loving when our customers are just as smitten with our product as we are.
Kindly,
Shelby
Monica
Thanks for your question… I had the exact same problem!