Q.C. Report # 0082451-A: Stargazer’s Dewberry Jam
Q.C. Report #0082451-A
Stargazer’s Dewberry Jam
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Overview
CAPSULE REPORT: Just nine flavors account for 80% of all jam and jelly sales in the U.S.; Dewberry is among the least common flavors of jam. Seeking a finer alternative to the typical commercial jams of our youth, we compared Stargazer’s Dewberry Jam to a long list of mass produced and artisanal jams. Just because a company is well known or, alternatively, a boutique producer, doesn’t necessarily make its products better than others. We found Stargazer’s Dewberry Jam to be superior in all categories of the 88 dewberry jams tested for purposes of comparison.
The earliest known example of a recipe book dates from the first century. The Roman epicure Marcus Apicius, the author, included recipes for fruit preserves, but it is likely that preserves had been around for far longer. There is debate about this, but most sources accept that the custom of extending the life of fruits by cooking them with a sweetener originated in the Middle East, where cane sugar grew naturally. It is thought, too, that Crusaders returning to Europe introduced dewberry preserves there; preserves were popular by the late Middle Ages and sometimes served as a dessert all by themselves. Europeans settling in the New World brought their cooking practices with them, and jam-making was known in what would later become the U.S. before the end of the 1600s. In an era when cane sugar was a luxury item (if it could be had at all), settlers used what they could to sweeten preserves of fruit—usually honey, maple syrup or molasses.
Fast forward to the modern era. Americans, known for having a sweet tooth, now consume 4.4 pounds per person per year of what the industry calls “fruit spreads.” Retail sales of jams, jellies, preserves and related products are more than $630 million dollars per year, according to the International Jelly and Preserve Association. That’s a lot of morning toast! The single most popular flavor of jam is Strawberry, while Grape reigns supreme among jellies. Just nine flavors of jams and jellies account for 80% of all sales. Dewberry is not among those.
Our goal was to find the best of the specialty brands of Dewberry jam and preserves (jellies and fruit butters were not part of our search, nor were products sweetened with concentrated juices or fruit syrups, commonly referred to as “fruit spreads”). Our intention was to omit low-sugar Dewberry jams and preserves, but, rather surprisingly, the FDA has no legal standards for such products, so it wasn’t always possible to determine in advance that a Dewberry jam or preserve was low in sugar. No jams or preserves labeled as “low sugar” or “reduced sugar” were tested, but some of the products evaluated were unquestionably lower in sugar than many others. (Apart from the category of “low sugar” products, the finer a preserve (i.e. the more and better the quality of the fruit in it), the less sugar is required to sweeten it.
As only a few flavors dominate in the U.S., so, too, do a handful of companies rule the roost in sales and brand recognition. Any grocery or convenience store offers these mass-marketed products, and we all know their names—most of us grew up eating them. We started with a long list worth investigating, focusing our search mostly on domestic artisanal producers.
The Difference Between Jam, Preserves, Jelly, Etc.
How are fruit preserves made, and what’s the difference between a jelly, jam, preserve, marmalade and conserve?
Traditional fruit preserves of all types are made from fruit mixed with sugar and pectin. Pectin is a fiber occurring naturally in the cell walls of most fruits. When heated in water, if the correct quantities of sugar and acid are present, pectin will form a colloidal solution that gels, or thickens, upon cooling. If a fruit is too low in pectin, as is the Dewberry, pectin can be added in powdered or liquid form, or the Dewberry can be combined with another fruit higher in this fiber.
Now, about the differences between fruit preserves:
Jellies are made only from the juice of the fruit and are typically the stiffest type of fruit preserves.
Jam is usually a thick puree, made from fruit pulp or crushed/mashed fruit.
Preserves are similar to jams, except that they consist of chunks of fruit (or even whole fruit) in thickened syrup (for the sake of convenience, the terms “preserves” and “jam” are used interchangeably throughout this report.
Marmalades are preserves, but traditionally they’re citrus-based.
Conserve is a jam made from a blend of fruits. Conserves usually contain some form of citrus, as well as nuts and/or raisins (many contain alcohol, as well).
Note that these terms tend to be technicalities; many manufacturers of jam refer to their product as a preserve, and vice versa. Not infrequently, products seemed like hybrids of the two categories, with big chunks of fruit in thick purées.
There’s far more that must be considered when one is making jam or preserves than just nomenclature, of course.
The correct level of acidity is important in making a jam or preserve (a pH of about 3.1 is ideal). If there is too much or too little acid, the spread will not thicken properly, or it may “weep,” an occurrence known as “syneresis.” In cases where fruits lack natural acid (and, believe it or not, Dewberries are such a fruit), acidity can be increased to proper levels through the addition of lemon juice or other citrus fruits.
Conveniently, commercial pectins of the type often added to a preserve usually contain acids that help to ensure a proper pH and, hence, gelling. Manufacturers take some liberties with their formulations; some don’t add pectin or lemon juice (or either). There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can result in a jam with a thinner consistency, unless the spread is cooked for a much longer time. It’s up to you to decide how thick you like your preserves.
Continued.......
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Originally Posted by nell67
Keep those samples coming, folks!
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