Home canning fruit sugar-free

You do not have to can fruit in a sugar-laden syrup. You can can fruits with no sugar at all (barring, of course, the sugars naturally present.)

Added sugar does not provide any safety in home canned fruit. Sugar can be a preservative in terms of texture and colour, but not in terms of food safety.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

The sugar in the syrup is NOT NEEDED FOR SAFETY. Sugar is not needed for safety because the heat used in canning is what kills microorganisms and preserves the product.” ^[1] National Center for Home Food Preservation Self Study Course. Module 3. Canning Acid Foods: Preparation. Accessed March 2015.

Michigan State University Extension says canning without sugar is a good option:

If you are on a special diet or are just watching your calories you may want to try canning without sugar; it is a good option.” ^[2] Nichols, Jennie. Home canning without sugar. Michigan State University Extension. Blog posting 14 August 2012. Accessed March 2015 at https://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/home_canning_without_sugar

Sugar plays no safety role in canning fruit

Colorado State University Extension says,

Sugar helps canned fruit hold its shape, color and flavor but is not needed to prevent spoilage. Fruits also can be packed in boiling hot water or juice. Processing is the same for unsweetened and sweetened fruit.” ^[3] Kendall, Pat. Canning Fruits. Colorado State University Extension. No. 9.347. June 2013. Accessed March 2015 at https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09347.html

The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

Adding syrup to canned fruit … does not prevent spoilage of these foods.” ^[4] National Center for Home Food Preservation. Syrups for Canning Fruit. Accessed March 2015 at https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/syrups.html

The storage impact of going sugar-free with your fruit

Sugar has no preservative qualities in terms of safety when canning fruit. That being said, it does have some preservative qualities in terms of food quality: it can help to retain the firmness and colour of the fruit.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

Fruit can be canned in water, juice or sweet syrup. A sweet syrup will help retain the shape, color and flavor of the fruit.” ^[5] National Center for Home Food Preservation Self Study Course. Module 3. Canning Acid Foods: Preparation. Accessed March 2015.

and again,

Adding syrup to canned fruit helps to retain its flavor, color, and shape.” ^[6] National Center for Home Food Preservation. Syrups for Canning Fruit. Accessed March 2015 at https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/syrups.html

and further:

[Without sugar…] The texture and color preserving aspects of a sugar syrup will not be provided. The result would be like canning in water ….. The USDA fruit canning directions do allow for canning in water (i.e., without a sugar syrup), as there is adequate preservation for safety from the heat of proper canning.” ^[7] National Center for Home Food Preservation: Can Splenda® (sucralose) be used in preserving food? In: Frequently Asked General Preservation Questions. Accessed March 2015 at https://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_general.html#3

Utah State University Cooperative Extension says,

The addition of sugar to canned fruit aids in retaining the shape, texture, color, appearance, and flavor of the original product. When sugar is not used or reduced in canning, there will be slight changes in these characteristics.” ^[8] Lauritzen, Georgia C. Reduced Sugar and Sugar-free Food Preservation. Utah State University Cooperative Extension. FN209. 1992. Accessed March 2015 at https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_209.pdf

Note that fruit preserves, which are separate products from plain fruit, and having extremely heavy amounts of sugar to form a very thick sugar syrup, can be canned without sugar but should be processed a bit longer, say 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of jar:

…for shelf stability…..Sugar is required for the preservation of these syrupy fruit preserves as published, with very short boiling water canner processes. Without that heavy amount of sugar, these products become fruit pieces canned in water or lighter sugar syrups, and the usual (and longer) fruit canning process times and preparation directions would need to be used.” ^[9] National Center for Home Food Preservation: Can Splenda® (sucralose) be used in preserving food? In: Frequently Asked General Preservation Questions. Accessed March 2015 at https://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_general.html#3

Note as well that the concerns are about long-term shelf quality, rather than than safety issue. But, as we are advised to eat everything up within a year for optimal quality anyway, longer-term shelf quality shouldn’t be a concern.

Do be aware, though, that once your canned fruit is opened, if it’s canned in just water, it doesn’t have sugar to kick in and act as a preservative for the opened jar. So refrigerate any leftovers and plan to use up within a few days. For this reason, you may wish to can fruit in ½ litre (1 US pint) jars or smaller, as opposed to larger ¾ litre or litre (US quart) jars, unless you routinely feed a crowd.

Using juice as a canning liquid for fruit

You can use juice instead of water in canning your fruit.

You can use commercially-bought juice, or make your own from excess fruit.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

Fruit can be canned in commercial juices such as unsweetened apple juice, pineapple juice or white grape juice. It can also be canned in juice extracted from additional fruit. To extract the juice, thoroughly crush ripe, sound fruit. Heat the juice to simmering and then strain it through cheesecloth, clean muslin or paper coffee filters.” ^[10] National Center for Home Food Preservation Self Study Course. Module 3. Canning Acid Foods: Preparation. Accessed March 2015.

For a gourmet touch, use a juice from a from different from the fruit you are canning. Utah State University Cooperative Extension says:

Fruit might also be packed with the addition of unsweetened juice from another fruit for an interesting contrast in flavor. Pears canned in unsweetened pineapple juice and peaches canned in unsweetened orange juice are two examples.” ^[11] Lauritzen, Georgia C. Reduced Sugar and Sugar-free Food Preservation. Utah State University Cooperative Extension. FN209. 1992. Accessed March 2015 at https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_209.pdf

100% white grape juice, some people feel, is the juice that impacts the taste of fruit the least. Blogger Laura McElfresh notes:

…using white grape juice that is 100% juice in my experience does not taint the taste of the fruit. However, white grape juice still has a large amount of natural sugar in it and if you are glycemic that may not be a good idea..” ^[12] McElfresh, Laura. Warm Spiced Clementines. From: Squirrel it Away! blog. 9 February 2011. Accessed March 2015.

Still, all that being said, buying fruit juice to use as a canning liquid can get expensive if you have a container load of fruit that just landed on you and you have to just get it canned. Consequently, with some fruits, just water may be enough for everyday, household jars of fruit. You could use juice when you are canning fruit as special gifts, etc.

Using water as a canning liquid for fruit

You can just use plain water to can your juice in.

Some people feel that using plain water can leave fruit tasting weaker. You may see a USDA Extension agent here and there saying, “…fruit canned in water is generally considered unappealing.” ^[13] Ingham, Barb. Safe Preserving: Safe Changes and Substitutions when Preserving Fruits. University of Wisconsin. Blog posting dated 25 June 2015. Accessed 25 June 2015 at https://fyi.uwex.edu/safepreserving/2015/06/25/safe-preserving-safe-changes-and-substitutions-when-preserving-fruits. If you see a statement along those lines, remember that Extension agents are not immune from either personal opinions, or, having their taste buds dulled by decades of refined white sugar, or perhaps even smoking, so that is a personal opinion and not documented social science. In fact, many other people counter that they find that the fruit jar just naturally ends up plenty sweet enough in the end, depending on the fruit they are canning, and that they couldn’t fathom wanting it any sweeter.

Don’t forgot though, that it doesn’t have to be plain plain water. Usually, you can use the water you blanched the fruit in which will be a flavoured water, though your jars may be a bit cloudier if you do.

You can sweeten the water with an artificial sweetener. Note going into this topic that an artificial sweetener will only impart sweetness to the water and extra sweetness to the fruit; it won’t provide any of the texture or colour keeping abilities that sugar does for long-term storage. But then, again, we’re told to use products up within a year anyway and not keep them long-term.

Adding saccharin or aspartame-based sweeteners to the canning water is not advised. But Splenda® / Sucralose is fine. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

Saccharin-based sweeteners become bitter when heated. Aspartame-based sweeteners can lose their flavor when heated. Sucralose (e.g., Splenda) is a newer sugar substitute that can be added prior to canning. Laboratory tests have shown that half as much sucralose as sugar in the original recipe provides adequate sweetening. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar per quart of water, use ½ cup sucralose instead of the sugar.” ^[14] National Center for Home Food Preservation Self Study Course. Module 3. Canning Acid Foods: Preparation. Accessed March 2015.

No canning authorities have had any funding to do research on stevia, though many home canning bloggers have gone ahead and done their own taste experimentation. Blogger Laura McElfresh prefers to add some stevia to her water at the rate of 1 teaspoon (dried or liquid) per litre (US quart) of water. ^[15] McElfresh, Laura. Warm Spiced Clementines. From: Squirrel it Away! blog. 9 February 2011. Accessed March 2015.

HealthyCanning.com has used liquid stevia in canning fruits at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 225 g (1 cup / 8 oz) of refined white sugar called for in thin syrups. We have found no adverse taste or storage qualities over the course of a year while the fruit was stored for the recommended USDA shelf life span. If anything, we may consider cutting down that ratio in the future: if you are reducing sugar in your diet, your taste buds also come to prefer things less sweet period.

Home canning your fruit with spices

You could also experiment with adding to your jars of ready-to-can fruit hard, whole spices such as a whole clove or two, half a stick of cinnamon, an allspice berry, a few vanilla seeds scraped from a vanilla pod, a star anise, etc.

Be leery of added powdered spices, as they could make your jar look unsightly.

You can add such flavouring whether you sweeten the canning water or not, or use a juice or not.

The Ball / Bernardin Complete Book (2015) offers this advice:

Spices, herbs and other flavourings such as liqueurs can be used to add flavour and flair to various preserved fruits. Because ground spices may affect the apperance of the final product, whole spices are often tied in a square of cheesecloth to create a spice bag. This bag is cooked with the fruit and removed prior to canning.” ^[16] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 140.

Home canning your fruit with alcohol

It’s also okay to add alcohol flavouring to the canning liquid for canned fruit. Perhaps it’s not mentioned often, as many home canning audiences in the States are more fundamentally religious.

To a ½ litre (1 US pint) jar of fruit being canned, add a tablespoon or two of something clear such as brandy, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, etc. Such alcohols are clear and so won’t make the jar cloudy, and the subtle flavour will infuse the fruit. You could also try ¼ teaspoon or so (to taste) of non-alcoholic concentrated rum or brandy extract.

The Ball / Bernardin Complete Book (2015 edition, pages 154 to 169) has many recipes for “spirited fruits.” They all call for sugar. You can just leave that out, (though the Bernardin matrons would have a bird of course about changing their recipes), and swap in 1 teaspoon liquid stevia per 1 cup / 225 g of sugar called for. Among the alcohols they suggest (depending on the fruit in question) are apricot brandy, amaretto liqueur, brandy, cherry brandy, creme de menthe, cognac, Dubonnet, Grand Marnier, Kahula, Kirsch, peach schnapps, port, red wine, rum, white wine, vodka. They recommend per ½ litre jar (1 US pint jar) to use 1 tablespoon of the spirits and wines; ½ tablespoon when using liqueurs instead.

The Ball / Bernardin Complete Book (2015) offers this advice:

Wines and spirits impart unique flavours to fruit and are often added during the final stages of cooking. It is not necessary to buy the most expensive brand, but the flavour and colour should complement the ingredients in the recipe.” ^[17] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 140.

You can add such flavouring whether you sweeten the canning water or not, or use a juice or not.

Preventing fruit darkening in storage

One thing sugar can help preserve is the colour of fruit, acting as a fixative. But even if you do use sugar, it’s not a 100% guarantee, either. Consequently people have worked out techniques to prevent fruit darkening. Such techniques can help compensate for a complete lack of added sugar, period.

Colorado State University Extension says,

If ascorbic acid products are not used in the pretreatment of cut fruit, they may be added to the canning juices or liquids before processing. This will help keep the fruit from darkening during storage. Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid or 750 to 1,500 mg crushed vitamin C tablets per quart of fruit. Commercial ascorbic and citric acid mixtures also may be used according to manufacturer’s directions.” ^[18] Kendall, P. Canning Fruits. Colorado State University Extension. No. 9.347. June 2013. Accessed March 2015.

National Center for Home Food Preservation says,

Light-colored fruits may darken when canned. To prevent this, the fruit can be cut into an anti-darkening solution of one teaspoon (3000 mg) ascorbic acid to one gallon of water or a commercial ascorbic acid mixture in water. Ascorbic acid is another name for vitamin C. Commercial mixtures of ascorbic acid can be found in the canning/freezing section of supermarkets. Vitamin C either in tablet form or crystalline form can be used. This product can be found in the pharmacy section of the supermarket or in health food stores. Heating the fruit also helps to prevent darkening. There are other treatments that can be used, however, they are not as effective as the ascorbic acid. These include citric acid, lemon juice, sugar syrup and a salt/vinegar solution.” ^[19] National Center for Home Food Preservation Self Study Course. Module 3. Canning Acid Foods: Preparation. Accessed March 2015.

Colorado State Extension says,

When canning without sugar, use high quality fruit. Overripe fruit will soften excessively. Take special care to follow steps that prevent darkening of light-colored fruit. Several treatments may be used to prevent or retard darkening. One is to coat the fruit as it is cut with a solution of 1 teaspoon (3 g) crystalline ascorbic acid or 3,000 mg crushed vitamin C tablets per cup of water. Another is to drop the cut pieces in a solution of water and ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice. Use 1 teaspoon (3,000 mg) ascorbic acid, 1 teaspoon citric acid or ¾ cup (175 ml) lemon juice to 1 [US] gallon (4 litres) water.

An ascorbic acid/water solution serves as a desirable anti-darkening treatment, adds nutritive value in the form of vitamin C, and does not change the flavor of the fruit as lemon juice may do. Ascorbic acid is available in crystalline or tablet form in drug stores and supermarkets. Ascorbic acid mixtures, such as ascorbic acid combined with sugar or with citric acid and sugar, also are available. For these, follow the manufacturer’s directions. In such mixtures, ascorbic acid usually is the important active ingredient. Because of its dilution with other materials, these forms may be more expensive than pure ascorbic acid… If ascorbic acid products are not used in the pretreatment of cut fruit, they may be added to the canning juices or liquids before processing. This will help keep the fruit from darkening during storage. Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid or 750 to 1,500 mg crushed vitamin C tablets per quart (litre) of fruit. Commercial ascorbic and citric acid mixtures also may be used according to manufacturer’s directions. ^[20] Kendall, P. Food Preservation Without Sugar or Salt. Colorado State Extension. Fact Sheet no. 9.302. October 2012. Accessed March 2015.

Raw pack versus hot pack when canning fruit without sugar

When you are canning fruits, for many fruits you have the choice of whether just to pack them raw into a jar, or, to blanch them first.

If you are canning fruits in a sugar syrup, it depends on the fruit whether you should can the fruit raw pack or hot pack, or have a choice — consult the USDA guide or the Ball or Bernardin books for the rules. For some fruits, such as whole berries, the processing time may be longer for raw pack. ^[21] See whole berries at NCHFP

Despite this choice, some canning authorities strongly advise for reasons of quality that you always go with hot pack. Presto doesn’t even offer you the choice of raw packs for fruit, whether you are using sugar or not.

If however you are canning fruit without a sugar syrup, then everyone recommends hot pack only.

Ball: “Use only the Hot Pack method when canning fruit without sugar.” ^[22] Fresh Preserving & Canning Questions. Ball Web site. Accessed March 2015 at https://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/faqs.

The Ball / Bernardin Complete: Requires hot pack for fruit if you are not using added sugar. “The hot-pack method is required for fruits preserved in fruit juice or water” [Ed: as opposed to sugar syrup.] ^[23] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine.  Ball / Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 143.

Colorado State Extension: “For best results, prepare fruits to be canned without sugar using hot-pack methods.” ^[24] Kendall, P. Food Preservation Without Sugar or Salt. Colorado State Extension. Fact Sheet no. 9.302. October 2012. Accesssed March 2015 at https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09302.html

University of California: “Fruits can also be canned more healthfully in water or 100% fruit juices, rather than sugary syrups. These fruits must be ripe but firm and prepared as a hot pack. Refer to the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for more information.” ^[25] Roche, Brenda. ttp://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=5849? Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California blog. 27 September 2011. Accessed March 2015.

University of Georgia video

Pressure canning versus water bathing home canned fruits

All home canned fruits can be safely water-bathed, with the right directions.

Some may be pressure canned using special directions for pressure canning.

The Presto manual says,

Fruits may be safely processed using the boiling water method. However, you may use, and some prefer, the pressure canning method.” ^[26] Pressure Canning: Canning Fruits. Presto. Accessed March 2015 at https://www.gopresto.com/content/canning/canning-fruits

Presto gives guidelines for pressure canning apples, applesauce, apricots, berries (except strawberries), cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and rhubarb.

The USDA guide pressure canning times for the above fruits are the same. The USDA guide also adds pressure canning times for grapefruit and­ orange sections. ^[27] United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Complete guide to home canning. Agriculture information bulletin No. 539. 2015. pp 2-31 to 2-32

Some people feel that a pressure canning process cooks fruits (other than perhaps apples or peaches) to smithereens, particularly people who live 300 metres (1000 feet) above sea level, and are therefore required to run at higher pressures. For those at sea level and less than 300 metres (1000 feet), the pressure required is only 5 pounds.

Pressure canning fruit does not deliver any safety advantages over water bathing. The safety comes from the acidity of the fruit. The pressure canning process is simply an accelerated equivalent of the water bathing. Pressure canning is, however, faster: compare apple slices at 20 minutes in a boiling-water bath, versus 8 minutes in a pressure canner.

Special procedures for low-acid fruits

Low-acid fruits require special handling, regardless of whether there is added sugar or not. It is the acid that makes fruit safe for canning; not the sugar.

Some low-acid fruits, such as melons (including cantaloupe and watermelon) cannot be canned safely on their own, ever, as no safe, tested procedures have been developed for them. The University of California says,

Cantaloupe and other melons should not be canned. Cantaloupe and other melons are nonacidic (have a high pH), with pH values ranging from 6.1 to 6.6. Nonacidic canned fruits support the growth to the bacterium that causes botulism when given the right conditions, which include moisture, room temperatures, lack of oxygen, and low-acid conditions. The high pH means that the product would need to be canned using a pressure canner rather than a water bath canner to ensure product safety. Safe processing times have not been determined because the high temperatures that would be needed leave the melon mushy and inedible. Cantaloup preserves or pickle recipes from reliable sources can be safely processed using a water bath canner because the addition of acids or acidic ingredients safely lowers the pH… Do not alter the proportion of fruit to lemon juice or other acids such as vinegar in preserve or pickle recipes containing cantaloupe [Ed: or any melon].” ^[28] Parnell, Tracy L. et al. Cantaloupe: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 8095. 2003. Page 3 – 4. Accessed March 2015 at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8095.pdf .

Note particularly that no safe melon jams or jellies recipes have been developed, despite recipes on the Internet. People have got botulism from watermelon jelly. But, the Ball Blue Book has safe, tested recipes for melon and watermelon rind pickle.

Other low-acid fruits include Asian pears, banana, coconut, figs, ripe mango and papaya. They cannot be safely canned on their own. They need to be used in preserve recipes which have enough added acid to make them safe.

Special procedures have been developed for home canning of Asian Pears and figs on their own, which require the packing liquid be acidified enough to make them safe:

Guidelines for acidification and water bathing of Asian Pears and figs were added to the USDA guide based on work done by researchers Woodburn, Raab, Hilderbrand at Oregon State.” ^[29] Andress, Elizabeth. “History, Science and Current Practice in Home Food Preservation.” Webinar. 27 February 2013. Accessed January 2015 at https://nchfp.uga.edu/multimedia/video/nchfp.wmv

Nutritional benefits of canning your fruit sugar-free

The first benefit of canning your fruit sugar-free is obvious, perhaps: it’s way less fattening.

Colorado State University Extension says,

Substituting plain water for the sugar syrup reduces the calorie content of canned fruit by approximately 205, 280 or 375 calories per pint (½ litre), assuming ⅔ cup (175 ml) of thin, medium or thick syrup, respectively, is replaced with water.” ^[30] Kendall, P. Canning Fruits. Colorado State University Extension. No. 9.347. June 2013. Accessed March 2015.

There’s another benefit, though. If you haven’t used sugar to turn your fruit into basically candy, then, in terms of the Daily Food Guide, it actually counts as, well, real fruit:

When serving fruit preserved without sugar, count fruit exchanges as for fresh or commercially prepared, unsweetened or artificially sweetened fruit.” ^[31] Kendall, P. Canning Fruits. Colorado State University Extension. No. 9.347. June 2013. Accessed March 2015.

Weight Watchers® members may even be able to count it as part of their free fruit allowance. Check with your Weight Watchers team leader.

Other Resources

Splenda can also be used to sweeten canning water with. See the National Center for Home Preservation’s thoughts on fruit canned with Splenda.

For fruit canning syrups that still have some sugar in them, see recipes here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/syrups.html

General guidelines on canning fruits from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

History

During World War Two, canning with little or no sugar was not a choice, it was a reality, owing to rations. (And, people were never healthier in North America or in the UK, Australia or NZ.)

Here’s some 1943 mid-war advice from the Farmers’ Weekly Review, about learning to can with no sugar.

Sugar allowance should be used wisely in canning:

Sugar customarily used in canning fruits does improve their texture, flavor and color, but it does not prevent age, according to Mrs. Madge Little, of the home economics extension staff, University of Illinois College of Agriculture. When sugar is scarce, appearance and flavor take second place. Saving the fruit is the important thing, and this can be done with little or no sugar, provided the proper methods of sterilization are followed and a perfect seal is accomplished.

While the present sugar ration for canning is more generous than some families will require, there are others that will have to make the best possible use of it in order to preserve their usual supply of fruits. One very good way to stretch the canning allowance is to shift the sugar to suit the fruit. Instead of using the allowance of one pound for four quarts of all fruits, increase the proportion if necessary for tart varieties such as rhubarb and cherries, and then shorten the ration for the very juicy and sweet ones.

Natural fruit flavors are more pronounced when a syrup is made of the crushed fruit or juice rather than using water. One very good method of preparing the juice is to crush and heat some of the smaller and riper fruit to boiling, using very low heat in order to prevent sticking and scorching. When the juice flows freely, strain and sweeten to taste. This can be cooked with the sugar to make a syrup or added to the fruit unsweetened.

Another point worth remembering when canning fruit with little or no sugar is to preheat the fruit to the juice or syrup. This not only improves the flavor but makes it possible to get more fruit into the jar, which is good wartime economy to glass jars, caps and shelf space. Avoid packing the fruit too tightly, for a good proportion of fruit to juice is desired in the finished product.” Farmers’ Weekly Review, 30 June 1943. Joliet, Illinois. Page 1.