My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently canning some
fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with when canning? I used
a bit of sugar because the canning book I have said that the sugar could
help to keep the color in the fruit and to help keep it better for longer,
although I could can many things in just plain water and sweeten it later.
I figure that small amount of sugar isn't going to make much of a
difference, but I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Splenda
for this. I'm getting in at the tail end of the season now, but next year
I'll have a lot of fruit to deal with!

Julie...

Do a Google search and you'll find tons on canning with Splenda.

I just put in "canning splenda", much turned up.

Jennifer


Julie Bove wrote:

> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently canning some
> fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with when canning? I used
> a bit of sugar because the canning book I have said that the sugar could
> help to keep the color in the fruit and to help keep it better for longer,
> although I could can many things in just plain water and sweeten it later.
> I figure that small amount of sugar isn't going to make much of a
> difference, but I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Splenda
> for this. I'm getting in at the tail end of the season now, but next year
> I'll have a lot of fruit to deal with!
>
>

Julie...

Do a Google search and you'll find tons on canning with Splenda.

I just put in "canning splenda", much turned up.

Jennifer


Julie Bove wrote:

> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently canning some
> fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with when canning? I used
> a bit of sugar because the canning book I have said that the sugar could
> help to keep the color in the fruit and to help keep it better for longer,
> although I could can many things in just plain water and sweeten it later.
> I figure that small amount of sugar isn't going to make much of a
> difference, but I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Splenda
> for this. I'm getting in at the tail end of the season now, but next year
> I'll have a lot of fruit to deal with!
>
>

"Jennifer" > wrote in message
...
> Julie...
>
> Do a Google search and you'll find tons on canning with Splenda.
>
> I just put in "canning splenda", much turned up.

Thanks! Guess I hadn't thought of that. I did a couple of hours searching
about canning in general and it was never mentioned.

"Jennifer" > wrote in message
...
> Julie...
>
> Do a Google search and you'll find tons on canning with Splenda.
>
> I just put in "canning splenda", much turned up.

Thanks! Guess I hadn't thought of that. I did a couple of hours searching
about canning in general and it was never mentioned.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:k_8_c.127$j62.94@trnddc04...
> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently canning
some
> fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with when canning? I
used
> a bit of sugar because the canning book I have said that the sugar could
> help to keep the color in the fruit and to help keep it better for longer,
> although I could can many things in just plain water and sweeten it later.
> I figure that small amount of sugar isn't going to make much of a
> difference, but I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Splenda
> for this. I'm getting in at the tail end of the season now, but next year
> I'll have a lot of fruit to deal with!


I had always frozen peaches and apples with just Fruit Fresh tossed in, but
I see it has dextrose as the first ingredient. Last month I froze
strawberries with splenda, they taste fine and I haven't seen any
discoloration. Also, you can buy powdered ascorbic acid, the other
ingredient in Fruit Fresh, and use it as a preservative but I don't know how
well it stands up to the heat in canning. I have noticed it being used in
commercial products as a preservative so presumably it works fine.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:k_8_c.127$j62.94@trnddc04...
> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently canning
some
> fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with when canning? I
used
> a bit of sugar because the canning book I have said that the sugar could
> help to keep the color in the fruit and to help keep it better for longer,
> although I could can many things in just plain water and sweeten it later.
> I figure that small amount of sugar isn't going to make much of a
> difference, but I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Splenda
> for this. I'm getting in at the tail end of the season now, but next year
> I'll have a lot of fruit to deal with!


I had always frozen peaches and apples with just Fruit Fresh tossed in, but
I see it has dextrose as the first ingredient. Last month I froze
strawberries with splenda, they taste fine and I haven't seen any
discoloration. Also, you can buy powdered ascorbic acid, the other
ingredient in Fruit Fresh, and use it as a preservative but I don't know how
well it stands up to the heat in canning. I have noticed it being used in
commercial products as a preservative so presumably it works fine.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in
news:k_8_c.127$j62.94@trnddc04:

> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently
> canning some fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with
> when canning?


Guess I'm always at a loss as to why something naturally sweet like fruit
or berries need to have sugar or sweetener added? It blew me away when I
looked at the ingredients in frozen juice bars. They had a ton of sugar
added and then "lemon juice to ensure tartness". Eh??? Why add the sugar
in the first place?

Sherry

"Julie Bove" > wrote in
news:k_8_c.127$j62.94@trnddc04:

> My new house has two apple and two pear trees. I am currently
> canning some fruit. Has anyone tried using Splenda to sweeten with
> when canning?


Guess I'm always at a loss as to why something naturally sweet like fruit
or berries need to have sugar or sweetener added? It blew me away when I
looked at the ingredients in frozen juice bars. They had a ton of sugar
added and then "lemon juice to ensure tartness". Eh??? Why add the sugar
in the first place?

Sherry

"Sherry" > wrote in message
. 1.4...
> Guess I'm always at a loss as to why something naturally sweet like fruit
> or berries need to have sugar or sweetener added? It blew me away when I
> looked at the ingredients in frozen juice bars. They had a ton of sugar
> added and then "lemon juice to ensure tartness". Eh??? Why add the sugar
> in the first place?

Apparently, the sugar acts as a preservative when putting up the fruit. And
because it is recommended to boil the fruit first before canning, it is
conceivable that some of the natural juice and subsequent sweetness will
boil out of it if you were to boil it in just water. The book I have
recommends adding the minimum amount of sugar or other sweetener needed for
good flavor. There is also a lot of liquid in a jar of canned fruit. So
not all of the sugar you add to the batch is in the fruit you are eating.
Unless you are also drinking the liquid from the can, you won't be consuming
a lot of sugar. That's assuming you use an extra light syrup, like I did.
My book also says you can use apple, pear or grape juice, or the juice of
the fruit you are canning, so long as it isn't overly thick and any pieces
of fruit have been strained out.

I would not say that all fruit is overly sweet. In fact, I find most of it
not to be sweet at all. I bought some raspberries and blackberries this
past summer that were so sour they were inedible. I have had strawberries
that were the same. I've also had sour oranges. Luckily, all of the fruit
in my yard so far has been sweet.

The book I have recommends using a heaping 1/3 cup of sugar per quart of
water for a light syrup. I used a scant 1/3 cup. The pears are not overly
sweet with this amount of sugar. And hopefully, this will be enough to help
preserve their color and appearance. I made 4 pints of applesauce and added
about 2 T. of sugar. I've been able to eat both of these things (in limited
quantities, of course) with no problems.

What I really wanted to know was if the Splenda would act as a preservative,
like sugar does. So far, I've been unable to find that answer. As for your
frozen juice bars, the sugar was probably added to help them freeze better.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:3go_c.599$Q44.435@trnddc09...
>
> What I really wanted to know was if the Splenda would act as a
preservative,
> like sugar does. So far, I've been unable to find that answer. As for
your

from the splenda site:
Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a canning
book for instructions on sugarless canning.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:3go_c.599$Q44.435@trnddc09...
>
> What I really wanted to know was if the Splenda would act as a
preservative,
> like sugar does. So far, I've been unable to find that answer. As for
your

from the splenda site:
Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a canning
book for instructions on sugarless canning.

Julie Bove wrote:

> What I really wanted to know was if the Splenda would act as a preservative,
> like sugar does. So far, I've been unable to find that answer. As for your
> frozen juice bars, the sugar was probably added to help them freeze better.

It's right on the Splenda site:

• Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a
canning book for instructions on sugarless canning.


Jennifer

Julie Bove wrote:

> What I really wanted to know was if the Splenda would act as a preservative,
> like sugar does. So far, I've been unable to find that answer. As for your
> frozen juice bars, the sugar was probably added to help them freeze better.

It's right on the Splenda site:

• Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a
canning book for instructions on sugarless canning.


Jennifer

"Jennifer" > wrote in message
...

> It's right on the Splenda site:
>
> • Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
> SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
> stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a
> canning book for instructions on sugarless canning.

Well, I must have been tired when I looked at that site last night. Thanks!
Guess it won't help me then.

"Jennifer" > wrote in message
...

> It's right on the Splenda site:
>
> • Canning jams, jellies and fruits:
> SPLENDA® Granular does not provide preservative properties. It is heat
> stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning. Please consult a
> canning book for instructions on sugarless canning.

Well, I must have been tired when I looked at that site last night. Thanks!
Guess it won't help me then.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in
news:3go_c.599$Q44.435@trnddc09:


> Apparently, the sugar acts as a preservative when putting up the
> fruit. And because it is recommended to boil the fruit first before
> canning, it is conceivable that some of the natural juice and
> subsequent sweetness will boil out of it if you were to boil it in
> just water. The book I have recommends adding the minimum amount of
> sugar or other sweetener needed for good flavor. There is also a
> lot of liquid in a jar of canned fruit.

My mother-in-law used to can fruit. She put an absolute ton of sugar
in it and I refused to eat it. There was *very* little liquid in her
jars.


> I would not say that all fruit is overly sweet. In fact, I find
> most of it not to be sweet at all. I bought some raspberries and
> blackberries this past summer that were so sour they were inedible.
> I have had strawberries that were the same. I've also had sour
> oranges. Luckily, all of the fruit in my yard so far has been
> sweet.

Sounds like you're getting unripe fruit and berries.... I've been
fortunate, I guess.

I'm not a big fruit eater anyway - although I love berries. I'll buy a
bunch, wash them off and dry them really well and then lay them on a
cookie sheet individually (so they don't freeze stuck together) and
then put them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I put them into
baggies and just pull them out of the freezer and eat them frozen.
Yummy.

Sherry

"Julie Bove" > wrote in
news:3go_c.599$Q44.435@trnddc09:


> Apparently, the sugar acts as a preservative when putting up the
> fruit. And because it is recommended to boil the fruit first before
> canning, it is conceivable that some of the natural juice and
> subsequent sweetness will boil out of it if you were to boil it in
> just water. The book I have recommends adding the minimum amount of
> sugar or other sweetener needed for good flavor. There is also a
> lot of liquid in a jar of canned fruit.

My mother-in-law used to can fruit. She put an absolute ton of sugar
in it and I refused to eat it. There was *very* little liquid in her
jars.


> I would not say that all fruit is overly sweet. In fact, I find
> most of it not to be sweet at all. I bought some raspberries and
> blackberries this past summer that were so sour they were inedible.
> I have had strawberries that were the same. I've also had sour
> oranges. Luckily, all of the fruit in my yard so far has been
> sweet.

Sounds like you're getting unripe fruit and berries.... I've been
fortunate, I guess.

I'm not a big fruit eater anyway - although I love berries. I'll buy a
bunch, wash them off and dry them really well and then lay them on a
cookie sheet individually (so they don't freeze stuck together) and
then put them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I put them into
baggies and just pull them out of the freezer and eat them frozen.
Yummy.

Sherry

"Sherry" > wrote in message
. 1.4...

> I'm not a big fruit eater anyway - although I love berries. I'll buy a
> bunch, wash them off and dry them really well and then lay them on a
> cookie sheet individually (so they don't freeze stuck together) and
> then put them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I put them into
> baggies and just pull them out of the freezer and eat them frozen.
> Yummy.

I'm not a big fruit eater either. But when I was a kid, my mom used to
serve berries straight from the freezer. I could not stand them that way.
Actually, I don't like any foods that are really cold like that, except for
the occasional snowcone on a really hot day.

"Sherry" > wrote in message
. 1.4...

> I'm not a big fruit eater anyway - although I love berries. I'll buy a
> bunch, wash them off and dry them really well and then lay them on a
> cookie sheet individually (so they don't freeze stuck together) and
> then put them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I put them into
> baggies and just pull them out of the freezer and eat them frozen.
> Yummy.

I'm not a big fruit eater either. But when I was a kid, my mom used to
serve berries straight from the freezer. I could not stand them that way.
Actually, I don't like any foods that are really cold like that, except for
the occasional snowcone on a really hot day.

"Sherry" > wrote in message
. 1.4...

> I'm not a big fruit eater anyway - although I love berries. I'll buy a
> bunch, wash them off and dry them really well and then lay them on a
> cookie sheet individually (so they don't freeze stuck together) and
> then put them in the freezer. When they're frozen, I put them into
> baggies and just pull them out of the freezer and eat them frozen.
> Yummy.

I'm not a big fruit eater either. But when I was a kid, my mom used to
serve berries straight from the freezer. I could not stand them that way.
Actually, I don't like any foods that are really cold like that, except for
the occasional snowcone on a really hot day.