LisaLea, Why don't you see if you can find a jam made with just fruit, juice and pectin. There are several of them out there. One brand that is common in my town is St. Dalfour's.
The first ingredient in the jam you described, is sugars. And it ends with a chemical preservative. I would not eat it.
Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. ~Mary Jean Irion
St. Dalfour (France) comes to mind for me too. It must be everywhere, man. Just to give you an idea of the taste Lisalea, it's usually 55% fruit, followed by grape juice concentrate, fruit pectin and lemon juice. (no cane sugar) eh
St. Dalfour's and Polaner are pretty much perfect. St. Dalfour's is a little better tasting but Polaner is cheaper and tastes just fine.
As a general rule I have always heard that the French regulate food to such a degree that its overall quality will be better than what most countries produce...whether or not it is pesticide free I can't say but I have a bunch of allergies to additives, etc. and I have prolly eaten (literally) hundreds of jars of St. Dalfour's without problems.
France is the heaviest user of pesticides in Europe. And one of the top three in the world. I would think that much of their fruit is saturated with the stuff.
(btw Spain's leafy greens were the most contaminated in Europe when I was living in Europe. UK supermarkets would strip the outer heavily contaminated leaves of the romaine lettuce grown in Spain and then package the lettuce as 'Romaine Hearts' selling them at a higher price to the UK customer than the unpolluted greener stuff . This is a type of subtraction known as value adding! Pesticide use in Europe is supported by the EU - they regularly ban a number whilst simultaneously introducing new ones. There's a chemical industry to support, naturlich.)
Back to Dalfour. Its jams are made of imported and local fruits according to the label. As they also sell a cranberry and wild blueberry jam I'd guess they are imported ingredients from North America. American cranberries are not as polluted as say, European strawberries, I betcha. The cranberry/blueberry mix is the jam I prefer. Precisely because the French government protects their farmers I would not trust the jams made of fruit like strawberries. 'Regulation' to me means tax breaks i.e. cheaper pesticides for the French farmers - they are a powerful lobby in the EU.
The European pesticide scientists also stink. An aquaintance I met in the UK has a PhD in Biochemistry and in a previous incarnation she worked as a research scientist for a biochemical corporation. She was sacked after she resisted their pressure to falsify her data about the dangers of a new herbicide she had developed and was testing. She is now a barrister. Not all scientists are that ethical. God, she was traumatised about the experience, I have to say. eh
Let me ask all my questions in the same space; this way none r forgotten
Not very inspiring to eat jam anymore ... sigh I don't have that particular brand here I beleive ... however; I will try to look for one that contains ONLY fruit, juice and pectin ... I really hope to find one !!!
Anybody from Canada that can recommend a healthy brand ??
I forgot to mention my " favorite" flavor is the three fruits mix, it is " awesome" !!! Yummi yum yum !! It contains lemon, grapefruit and orange.
eh, Thank you! I know I was asking the right person. Great info about pesticides. (Bad info, but . . you know, great info)
LisaLea and other jam fans. I have a brand for you. You won't find this in a "standard" grocery store, but if you have access to a good natural food store, they should be able to order it for you. I paid $3 and some change for a 9 oz jar. It is called Bionaturae Organic Fruit Spread, 100% fruit; a small company in Tuscany. CLICK
Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. ~Mary Jean Irion
(btw Spain's leafy greens were the most contaminated in Europe when I was living in Europe. UK supermarkets would strip the outer heavily contaminated leaves of the romaine lettuce grown in Spain and then package the lettuce as 'Romaine Hearts' selling them at a higher price to the UK customer than the unpolluted greener stuff . This is a type of subtraction known as value adding! Pesticide use in Europe is supported by the EU - they regularly ban a number whilst simultaneously introducing new ones. There's a chemical industry to support, naturlich.)
Yeah...aint that the truth That's why I am always saying there is nothing 'organic' in Spain!! My SIL insists she gets organic oranges from Spain!!! Not with what I see sprayed on them and all the other fruits/olives etc. (sorry I'm not talking about Jam)
uh,oh, must give it a try. After all, as the DH says "it says it's from Italy". Their website indicates that WF carries this jam.
Hi there Pat! What a surprise to see your interest in anything Tuscan! If you had not caught this post, I was going to have to call you over. It's the best all fruit jam that we have tried. Naturally, if it's from Tuscany.
Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. ~Mary Jean Irion
St. Dalfour's and Polaner are pretty much perfect. St. Dalfour's is a little better tasting but Polaner is cheaper and tastes just fine.
Just a note about Polaner: One of the ingredients listed is citric acid. I can't seem to locate whether it's corn-derived or not. Ingredients are:
Juice concentrate Strawberries Fruit Pectin Natural Flavor Citric Acid
Their website says the natural flavors are a blend of fruit juices, fruit essences and essential oils...all fruit derived, but I can't find anything about the citric acid.
Just a note about Polaner: One of the ingredients listed is citric acid. I can't seem to locate whether it's corn-derived or not. Ingredients are: Juice concentrate Strawberries Fruit Pectin Natural Flavor Citric Acid Their website says the natural flavors are a blend of fruit juices, fruit essences and essential oils...all fruit derived, but I can't find anything about the citric acid.
To find the source from which the citric acid is derived, will prob require a phone call. I don't believe I've ever seen that disclosed on a website. Usually the company will know, if they don't, they'll usually get your name & number and call back w/ the info.
There is also a D'Arbo from Austria - they even have a diabetic line of fruit spreads with no chemicals, although the sweetener is some sort of Lemon concentrate.
http://www.darbo.at Heirloom Fruits can be higher in Pectin if you make your own, also Quinces or Medlars were traditionally added to the mix before Pectin to do the same thing.
it also helps to throw the whole fruit into mix pips, blossoms, cores as this increases the the natural pectin available. Wholesale sources will have Pectin sourced from various fruits and vegetables for the "BTD purist"...In theory common Pectin comes from Apple pomace or Citrus peel, I suspect that in reality the majority is formed synthetically from, lets see, 4-letters, starts with 'C'....
Herr Schlüggell -- Establish a Garden; Cultivate Community. "To see things in the seed, that is genius. He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much. The way to do is to be." -Lao Tzu Bruno Manser, Ned Lud, August Sabbe, Richard St. Barbe-Baker, Eddie Koiki Mabo, Masanobu Fukuoka
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