Summer in a Jar

Read the label on the box carefully to look for the words "lower-sugar" or "no sugar needed"; these are not the same as "no-cook" freezer jam pectin that comes in packets.

Though the Ball and Sure-Jell brands are not always interchangeable, I created recipes that could be prepared with either. Further, to allay food safety concerns and for the convenience of cooks short on expertise or time and lacking canning paraphernalia, I focused on developing freezer jams, which don't have to be processed in boiling water.

The resulting preserves can be kept refrigerated for up to three weeks or frozen for up to a year. Because the cooking times are too short to ensure sterilization, they can't be stored on pantry shelves.

To provide options for hobby preservers who prefer to skip jams, I've also included light, easy freezer chutney. The chutney doesn't have to jell -- it merely thickens slightly from the boiling-down process -- which eliminates the need for commercial pectin entirely. As a result of higher acid content, chutney has a slightly longer (four-week) refrigerator shelf life than the jams.

The two brands of pectin I tested worked much like their traditional counterparts, but, to my taste, yielded preserves with a brighter, fruitier, less "cooked" flavor. In the reduced-sugar recipes provided here, they produced preserves that jelled readily, had a normal consistency and were almost as clear as the old-fashioned super-sugary jams.

The scientific literature suggests that "in very low-sugar applications" the jelling consistency can be less appealing and that these new products often yield preserves with less clarity than the traditional pectins. The newer pectins are also said to be more prone to lumping or clumping, but it's easy to avoid problems simply by following the recipe directions to thoroughly stir the pectin and sugar.

If you are new to preserving, read the tips before you begin. Happy jamming!

Award-winning cookbook author Nancy Baggett started picking berries on a farm when she was 3 and making jams when she was 11. She can be reached through her Web site,http://kitchenlane.com.