Cherry Habanero Lime Jam
Cherry Habanero Lime Jam is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin using the juice and the pulp of cherries, with a touch of crisp lime. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener, allowing you to make a healthier version of your preserves.
If you love to jam, but are trying to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, Pomona’s is the way to go. To learn more about making low sugar or sugar-free jam with Pomona’s read this, or consider getting the book Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin.
Recipe for Cherry Habanero Lime Jam
Yields: 5 – 8oz. Jars
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.
Wondering what calcium water is? Calcium water is a solution of the monocalcium phosphate powder (food-grade rock mineral source) that comes in its own packet with every purchase of Pomona’s Pectin. The Pomona’s Pectin directions tell you how to make calcium water with the calcium powder. Pomona’s Pectin recipes call for calcium water because the pectin is activated by calcium, not by sugar. You can read more about calcium water here.
- 4 cups sweet cherries about 3 pounds, pitted and smashed
- 1 fresh habanero pepper de-seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 cup lime Juice bottled
- 1-2 limes zested
- 3 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- 1 to 2 cups sugar OR 1/2 cup to 1 cup Honey
- 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin mixed with sweetener
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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 saucepan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
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Rinse the cherries, remove and discard stems and pits, then chop the cherries.
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Combine chopped cherries, calcium water, diced habanero pepper, lime zest, and lime juice in a saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer, still covered, for 5 minutes.
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In a separate bowl, combine the sweetener and Pomona's Pectin. Mix well and set aside.
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Bring the cherry-habanero mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Gradually add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously between each addition, 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.
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Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with jam, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
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Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, return the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
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Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed. Remove screw bands from sealed jars, rinse off outside of jars if necessary, label jars, and store for later use.
This recipe is from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013).
Pomona’s Pectin Recipes
Get more low and reduced sugar jam recipes using Pomona’s Pectin here.
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