Pomona's Pectin is Different

What Is Different About Pomona Pectin?

I went on a search for the answer to the above question on the internet.  I have used it but I wanted some other opinions and input.  The first thing that caught my attention is that Pomona's is pure pectin and other pectin is not.  Other pectin has dextrose a corn derivative or other acids.  These things are added to make the pectin easier to mix with the fruit, but may not be what we want to eat.  Because it is pure pectin, you cannot add the pectin to the fruit directly or it will clump.  Always stir the pectin into an amount of dry sweetener that is no more than ½ the amount of mashed fruit or juice. Always stir the pectin into an amount of liquid sweetener that is no more than ¼ the amount of mashed fruit or juice. Add any remaining sweetener after the pectin is dissolved.  Another thing you need to know is that the Pomona pectin must be mixed well in enough sweeteners to keep the pectin grains from clumping together in the hot fruit.  If you follow these guidelines, and have a recipe, you will be successful and you will love your jam or jelly. 

The reason I like to use Pomona's is because it doesn't gel with sugar, but calcium and it is derived from citrus peel.  This means that you do not have to use a set amount of sugar to make the jam or jelly set up to the consistency that you want.  Prior to finding Pomona's, I had used Clear Gel to make freezer jam so I didn't have to put so much sugar in it.  Pomona's makes a better texture in the jam or jelly.  I can use any type of sweetener I want and as much as I want.

It helps to start your jam making experience using the recipes included or developed by the manufacturer, but you are not limited to them and there are tips on their web site to help you in developing your own recipes.

You can buy Pomona's in a 1 oz.  package that will make 2 to 4 batches, or a ½ lb. or 1 lb. bag.  It will keep indefinitely without going bad or getting too old to gel. 

If you want less sugar in your diet, you will love Pomona’s Pectin.

Multi-Purpose or Dedicated Juicer

Do you compromise efficiency by choosing a multipurpose juicer over a dedicated juicer?  There are so many kinds of juicers to choose from, one thing you might want to consider is what you expect it to do.  If you want it to do everything you might be sacrificing the efficiency of the machine.  Why do I say this?  Because it is hard to build a machine that will do everything and do it well.

I have some nieces and nephews who grew up in a Spanish speaking country.  Those individuals are bilingual.  Do they excel in both the Spanish and English languages?  No.  They speak them well, but they are not outstanding in either language.  We used to have a car that would run on regular gasoline or natural gas.  Did we get the best mileage on both fuels?  No, we did not.  We got a pretty good gas milage and a pretty good natural gas mileage, but not the best.  It is hard to take one engine and all the little parts that go on them to make a car run, and adjust them to work the best with two different fuels.  You have a compromise in gas mileage to get the convenience of the dual fuel.  The same is true with kitchen machines like juicers and blenders as well.

You will never get the best performance in a juicer that will do fruits, vegetables, grasses and greens, as well as make peanut butter, pasta, baby food and grind herbs.  That doesn't mean that those machines are bad.  It does mean that if you want to just juice wheat grass juice you will get better performance by getting a dedicated wheat grass juicer.


 If you want to juice oranges, or other citrus, you will get a better product and more of it with a better flavor, by getting a citrus juicer.  I honestly am not sure what I would use to juice only soft fruits if I wanted clear juice with no pulp.  It is hard to get the mush strained out so you get a very dry pulp.  I like the fiber from the fruits because that helps digestion, so I always blend my soft fruits into smoothies.  For hard fruits the choice is easy.  A centrifugal juicer works very well.  If I had a choice, I would not use a masticating juicer for soft fruits, or maybe even apples if that was all I was juicing.  The masticating juicer works well if you juice a variety of fruits and vegetables to make a juice.  The way to do it is to rotate the kind of food you are putting in so the firm and hard fruits push the soft pulp on through.  Some companies even offer a juicer-blender combination, or a mixer blender combination.  You use the same motor to power both operations or either operation.  They will most likely not be as good at doing what you want them to do as a dedicated machine, but it may save you space and money if you can deal with some inefficiency.

The advantage of buying a multi-purpose juicer machine is money and space, but be prepared to not get quite the quality in flavor or efficiency that the dedicated juicer will give you.  Know what you want to do with it before you buy.  A juicer is an investment in good health, and you don't want to get one that causes you stress.  Stress can and will kill.  If you have time constraints, do not buy a masticating juicer that works slow and takes more time to prepare the food.  Think about getting a juicer with a wide feed tube that juices fast. They might be a little harder to clean, but in the long run, you will save more time.  You also might want to consider the noise level of the machine.

Think about your personality and your needs and your assets.  Write down what you really need and want.  Consider the pros and cons.  Read all the information you can on the different models available and imagine yourself doing what you have to do to use the machine.  See how it will work for you.  Go to youtube.com and watch the videos people have put there about using the machines.  This will also give you an idea of the noise level of the machines.  When you are ready, then go shopping.

Masticating and Wheat Grass Juicer

Are you ever confused about what kind of juicer to buy?  As a juicer user, I have learned a lot about what I would do differently if I was buying my first juicer.  You may have some idea what you would like to juice at first, but maybe things will change.  If you want to juice greens and grasses, you will need a juicer with a screw, auger,or gear, called a masticating and wheat grass juicer.  The thing that crushes the food is essentially the same part but called by many different names.  There are juicers that have one gear or agar and juicers that have two.  There electric wheat grass juicers hand powered or manual wheat grass juicers that have these gears.  There are juicers that have the auger in a horizontal position, and juicers that have the auger in the vertical position.  These juicers are all masticating juicers if they have an auger/gear or two.

Any masticating and wheat grass juicer work essentially the same.  Most of them will work well juicing greens and grasses.  There are a few exceptions and when buying one you need to be aware of that fact so you get something that works for you.  These juicers are slow, have a small feed chute, and essentially need you to rotate what you are juicing as you make your serving of juice to make them work the very best.  For example, if you want apple, carrot, greens and grasses in your drink, you will need to put in greens and grasses between pieces of apple to keep the apple moving on through instead of just making applesauce and staying in the tube.  You will want to rotate different kinds of foods for the most efficiency.

The vertical masticating and wheat grass juicer has a smaller foot print so they take up a smaller space in your kitchen, but they may be a lighter weight and that may cause them to move around as they juice.  The masticating and wheat grass juicer with the horizontal auger may be more stable but certainly takes up more space.  Many of the horizontal machines and maybe some vertical ones also have the capability to extrude homemade pasta and make nut butters and baby food or purees.  If these are things you are interested in you may want to look for a machine that will do these things also.

The Champion Juicer is a masticating juicer that is made in the USA, that does not do grasses and greens well.  It does other fruits and vegetables well and has been around for more than 50 years making juicers that are built to last generations.  They do have an attachment that will do greens and grasses.  There are others of the masticating juicer type that are not specifically made for juicing the grasses and greens, so be sure to check on that before you buy.  If you cannot find the information you need, contact a merchant who sells juicers.  They will know or can find the answers to your questions.

If you want a juicer you can use on the go or want to try before you make a large investment, the manual wheat grass juicer is a good way to start.  Manual wheat grass juicers are masticating juicers and are usually inexpensive and work well.  They usually juice the grasses dryer than the electric wheat grass juicers do, but they do require work and it is a slower process.  On the plus side, you can be more mobile, and they are generally easier to clean up.

There is a learning cycle to making any juicer work for you.  If you are patient and want the full benefit of slow extracted juices, then you will want to learn to use and enjoy a masticating juicer.