On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 09:01:37 -0700, "Marilyn"
> wrote:

>After hemming and hawing about it for years, I finally broke down and put
>out the money to buy a 25-pound bag of Clear Jell (that's how it comes at
>the Cash & Carry where I bought it). $40, but a friend of mine who cans is
>going to buy half of it from me so that decreases the ouch factor a bit.
>
>First, I made a couple of jars of apple pie filling just to see how it would
>work. I followed the directions on the NCHFP site, but I'm wondering if
>maybe the amount of Clear Jel specified per quart is a little more than
>necessary. It calls for 1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp and it made the mixture
>really, really thick. It was very difficult to get it to boil as the
>directions stated since it got so thick and started sticking to the pan. No
>amount of stirring helped. I went ahead and finished making the filling and
>put it in the jars and processed it and it looks really pretty. I actually
>had a little more filling than would fit in the jars so I put that in a
>separate container in the fridge. Taste testing confirms that it's really,
>really yummy.
>
>Last night, I made one quart of plum pie filling. There's no recipe for it,
>but I followed the directions for blueberry this time instead of apple since
>it didn't call for apple juice or cinnamon. I have an Italian prune plum
>tree that has produced much too abundantly this year and I have to do
>something other than just can the plums or make them into jam or dehydrate
>them. Same problem with it getting too thick.
>
>Is it okay to experiment with the amount of Clear Jel to get it to the
>consistency I want?
>
>-Marilyn
>

Like Barb has said, it's only for thickening so it should be OK to
play with the amount. Now, I have a sort of related question.
Anybody know where to get ClearJel up here in Canada?
Bernardin's web site lists it but says it is not a product sold by
Bernardin and gives a link to a retailer (Golda's Kitchen). But, when
you go there it says:
Availability: not available
We no longer have stock of this item and will not be obtaining
additional stock.
Beside that, at the price listed, $6.00 for 500 grams(3-3/4 cups), I
wouldn't be buying it anyway.
I guess I'll stick to tapioca, it works well enough for me.

Ross.