This is my personal opinion....I don't like it. :-) I've been trying to get ready for the Canning 101 Strawberry Jam post, but all the strawberries in my freezer got me experimenting first.
The first batch of jam was with strawberries, lemon juice, Stevia in the Raw, and low sugar pectin. I followed the Ball recipe and used 2 cups of stevia instead of sugar.. It was so sour it was inedible. The second batch was with strawberries, lemon juice, 4 1/2 cups of Stevia in the Raw, and low sugar pectin. Not as sour, but just lacking a good strawberry taste.
Here is my beef.....I can't get the after taste out of my mouth! Is this what they mean by bitter tasting? (that's what most authorities say canning with stevia tastes like) So, second batch inedible! I am of the opinion it is better to can the jam without sugar using low sugar pectin, and then add the stevia after you open it up. That's if you need to go sugar-free. It's the heat that supposedly makes the stevia bitter.
Using low sugar pectin and about 1/2 the sugar most recipes call for, is probably the direction I will be going. Sugar actually brings out the flavor of the jam and helps preserve the color. No one around here is eating gobs of it.
I also had a terrible time with foaming and floating fruit. There's no way I'd try to sell these at the Farmer's Market. Has anyone else out there tried canning with Stevia? What were your results?
.....dr momi
Linked To: Farm Girl Friday Blog Hop # 49
The first batch of jam was with strawberries, lemon juice, Stevia in the Raw, and low sugar pectin. I followed the Ball recipe and used 2 cups of stevia instead of sugar.. It was so sour it was inedible. The second batch was with strawberries, lemon juice, 4 1/2 cups of Stevia in the Raw, and low sugar pectin. Not as sour, but just lacking a good strawberry taste.
Here is my beef.....I can't get the after taste out of my mouth! Is this what they mean by bitter tasting? (that's what most authorities say canning with stevia tastes like) So, second batch inedible! I am of the opinion it is better to can the jam without sugar using low sugar pectin, and then add the stevia after you open it up. That's if you need to go sugar-free. It's the heat that supposedly makes the stevia bitter.
Using low sugar pectin and about 1/2 the sugar most recipes call for, is probably the direction I will be going. Sugar actually brings out the flavor of the jam and helps preserve the color. No one around here is eating gobs of it.
I also had a terrible time with foaming and floating fruit. There's no way I'd try to sell these at the Farmer's Market. Has anyone else out there tried canning with Stevia? What were your results?
.....dr momi
Linked To: Farm Girl Friday Blog Hop # 49
24 comments:
I've never used Stevia in cooking, either the plant itself, the powdered stuff or the liquid extract. I only us it for sweetening drinks or the occasional drop or two to oatmeal if I want it sweet. Bummer those jars turned sour, but at least you (and we) know now!
Thanks for experimenting for us. I think I will stick with sugar.
I have never used stevia in cooking..I struggle with the aftertaste when used in warm drinks. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Carolyn Renee....I'm sticking to the occasional sweetening (without heating) too. I hope my experimenting helps others to not make the same mistake :-)
Michaele....You're welcome :-)
Simply Scaife Family.... I have eaten lunch and the whole bit since I tasted it...I STILL have the after taste in my mouth!
That's really a shame. It looks so pretty!
I only make freezer strawberry jam and when I do, I just reduce the amount of sugar. Sorry I can offer no help. Good luck though.
All we have ever done is freeze it also, we will have to try this. sounds really yummy! I hope all is well!
Jill....I'd make freezer jam if I had the space in the freezer. Heads-up though if someone wants to do freezer jam with stevia -- you still have to cook it and that's where the stevia gets bitter.
Clint....I'd stick with the freezer jam :-)
Stevia and most of the low calorie sweeteners are bitter when used in cooking. We usually add it after cooking to things like puddings and such. It surely does have an awful aftertaste!
I was at the Amish store the other day and they had Stevia that was supposed to have been processed without the ingredients that are supposed to create the bitter aftertaste. They had free samples of it so I tried it by itself. Ick! Still had the aftertaste to me.
It is okay when used half and half with sugar (if you add it after cooking)--which I don't think would work in canning unless as you suggested, you just canned it and allow people to add their sweetener after opening.
I ruined a whole batch of Pumpkin Butter last fall using splenda. And that was from the actual pumpkins!!!!! Darn! Mom said that yep, they suggest you use half sugar or add after cooking when it is cool. (lots of diabetics in the family)
I love stevia, but I have not had good luck in using it for cooking. I think jam and jelly would be dreadful with it. It may be that the heat does something to it.Freezer jam may be better, stirring in the stevia when thawed. Another option would be canning jam with no sugar and stirring stevia in once the jar was opened. I seriously don't know if that would work.
I use Pomona's pectin and only about 1/2cup sugar per recipe. We have taken our sugar way down. I even cut it severely in baked goods. I did this gradually enough that my family hasn't noticed. With my peach jam, I use so little sugar that it's like having fresh peaches. My kids would probably refuse to eat store bought jam because it's so sweet!
I may be a chef, but my expertise isn't with stevia. I like it though.
Have a great weekend!
labbie 1....it's evening and I STILL can taste the stevia from the jam this morning! I don't know if I could get brave enough to try it even with sugar now :-)
Patrice....I'm enjoying getting to know you! I did not know you were a chef. I bet your peach jam is luscious. Thanks for commenting!
So, if the heat makes the Stevia bitter, it would probably NOT be a good substitute in cookies. Sounds like reducing the sugar is THE way to go!...:)JP
I make a freezer jam that you don't cook so maybe you could try stevia... we just crush the strawberries with a pastry tool and add the raw sugar/pectin mix. It is already half the sugar as the cooking kind. I line them up on the door of the freezer cause I don't have much freezer space either but the lovely strawberry flavor this keeps can not be beat in the middle of winter. I can all other jams but this one is a freezer must.
Thanks for the heads up! I tend to stick with good old fashioned sugar when making jam and eating it in moderation but I can understand people wanting to cut down on sugar in their diets.
I just started using stevia...leaves such a bad taste in my mouth...no idea what to do. Can't eat hardly anything...doing the whole wheat belly diet and the weight has just stopped...hardly eat anything...only add stevia to uncooked foods....no idea what to do...just need to stop eating period. LOL.
I also cannot figure out how much stevia to sugar...they say cup for cup but that cannot be right. One little package is WAAYYYY to sweet...imagine if it was one cup.
A Quiet Corner....I've never tried it baking but, I would assume the heat would do the same thing. Bummer.
Our Family....I haven't made freezer jam in so long maybe I forgot you don't cook it! You made it sound so good I might have to do one batch -- without stevia :-)
Candy C. ....the heads up is exactly what I wanted to let people know :-)
Treasures Evermore....You really have to read on the packaging of your stevia -- some products are cup for cup but many aren't. I haven't heard of the wheat belly diet. Sorry the weight is stuck -- I know exactly what you are talking about!
Thanks for the info, I had thought about using that product, but haven't. I've only been canning a few years and I add to my repertoire each year! Last year it was spice wild Maine blueberry jam - yum!
ok - did a batch of freezer jam using a combination of stevia and sugar. It was confusing because the Surejel package was supposed to be for low & no-sugar recipes (pink box), but the recipes for freezer jam on the info sheet inside still called for sugar or warned that it wouldn't set! So...i used 1/3 portion sugar and 2/3 portion stevia extract in the raw.
Note the directions tell you to cook the sugar/sweetener with the stevia...this definitely made the gross aftertaste worse. I did another batch simply cooking the surejel with water and then pouring that mixture in with the berries and sugar/stevia (which is the way my great-grandmother's recipe says to do it anyay! And can G.G. be wrong?!) The uncooked sweetener batch tasted much better. It did not set the greatest and was definitely looser than my regular jams, but it did set some. The taste is quite decent and there was only about 1/8 cup sugar in per jar (which I am estimating holds a little more than a cup of jam.)
Sorry I don't have the exact recipe, since it has been a week now since we did it! I just followed the low/no sugar surejel recipe for freezer jam with the exception of substituting 1/3 of the sugar with stevia and not cooking the stevia and sugar. Hope that helps someone out!
Ocean Breezes....Blueberry spice jam is right up there with strawberry as far as I'm concerned!
Nanner....thanks for taking the time to comment about your results! It sure sounds like a great waY to do it. I'm thinking freezer jam IS the way to go.
I tried using only two tablespoons of stevia (for two pints)with no sugar pectin and 1/4 can of condensed cherry apple juice. It turned out great. Maybe it was the combo of using both? I also added the stevia in at the end just before canning. I posted the recipe on my site (I linked to this post in my post too) http://theurbanhomestaed.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-added-sugar-strawberry-raspberry-jam.html. Hope this helps!
I think the reason for the bitter taste is that because stevia is sooo much sweeter than sugar, you must use significantly less. Try this recipe. Let us know if this is any more successful. I make jelly like this (my family doesn't like the fruit chunks . . .) And the kids don't complain at me! But, I haven't tried preserves or jam yet.
http://justjoanna.com/2011/07/recipe-sugar-free-strawberry-jam-with.html
I make homemade choc. pudding all the time but only use 1/4 tsp of stevia in place of a cup of sugar!! I think the reason your stuff was bitter was because you used way way too much stevia!! I usually tho do add a bit of sugar; it does bring out the taste of things better. But my stuff is never bitter when I use this ratio. And it must be pure white stevia with no fillers. Am just checking the web to see how to can peaches with stevia and get some tips.
I make my own stevia jam. The key is to use a little bit of sugar and a really good stevia. Feel free to check out my recipe http://lesssugarnaturally.blogspot.ca/2013/02/Low-Sugar-Stevia-Jam.html
Stevia in the raw and truvia are terrible stevia products, I would try sugar leaf a stevia organic sugar combo used for baking. It takes only a third of desired sugar so 1/3 cup of product per cup sugar, third calories, totally organic and tastes great. They also make 100% stevia product sweet leaf but to bake or cook I use combo and other to just sweeten coffee.
The problem with Stevias on the market is that they are made by Coke/Pepsi/Cargill and are chemically extracted portions of the plant and that nasty aftertaste comes from "fillers" they add to their products. I ONLY use SweetLeaf brand Stevia and there is NEVER an aftertaste. Walter filtered/no fillers/no crap.
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