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.

24 Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier

My niece’s friend sent this to her and she forwarded it on to me and a lot of other people. Thanks so much Jocelyn. Here are some very useful ideas:


Hull strawberries easily using a straw.


Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.




Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or
computer screen with WD40.




Microwave your own popcorn in plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.






Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box
by securing with a rubber band.









Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets
inside one of their own pillowcases and there will
be no more hunting through piles for a match.








Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod
in a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music.





Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.










Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder
gets sand off your skin easily, who knew?!






Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.




Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls
against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.






Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a
stocking over the vacuum hose.






Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting
crosses into a box lid.







For those who can’t stand the scrunching and
bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.






Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers and clippers, behind a vanity door.



Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty
soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can
find them in just about every hotel.





A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets
hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.





Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.






Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so
much more fun and easier for kids to eat.





Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.




Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.









Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing
sunburn relief.







Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.








Use egg cartons to separate and store your
Christmas decorations.

It Is Snowing on my Kale

About the only thing left in my garden is the Kale, and I have plenty of it. I didn't do the garden this year, My sweetheart did it. I wanted a 4 ft row of Kale because I like it in my green drinks and juices. He planted all the seeds and it is about 40 feet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have been glad for it. Kale is a cool weather plant and I thought it would bolt when the weather got hot. It didn't . I learned that it is also a biannual plant. That means it will grow this year and wait till next year to go to seed. This past spring we had a few plants that wintered over and first thing this spring we had fresh kale before the rest of the garden got mature enough to harvest.

It is so nice to have fresh greens in the spring. After the long winter our bodies are ready for some good pick me up food. Kale in my juice did that for me. I also had some spinach that came up volunteer in the fall and was ready to harvest about the time the ground thawed in the spring. Even though I am never ready for winter to come, I know I can still harvest the kale for a while and it will be there in the spring until the rest of the new little seeds grow big enough to give us the fresh food our bodies crave. The Swiss chard that has already frozen will also come back and give us greens until the new plants are ready. Then it too, will go to seed and the cycle begins again.

How do I juice my greens? I actually have 3 machines I use and they all work well to do the job. The three I have and use regularly are a power blender, a centrifugal juicer, and a wheat grass juicer. What I choose to use will depend on what I may be putting with my greens to make my drink.

The Vitamix blender is my appliance of choice if I am wanting the fiber in my diet. I always use it if I am using the soft fruits and the fruits I have frozen. This blender breaks up the seeds and skins so small you don't recognize them in the smoothie. My daughter prefers the Blendtec blender. Both of them do a fantastic job of making what you put in the blender smooth. They are both power blenders, but the difference that is most noticeable is in the size and shape of the jars. Vitamix has 2 jars. One is designed to mill grains, the other is designed to make smoothies or chop food like a food processor. The jars are the same size and shape. The Blendtec also has 2 jars. One is square and 64 oz, the other is 5 sided and 96 oz. They are both shorter and broader so that when not in use they will fit on the counter top under the upper cabinets. One or more of the Blendtec models has the motor part that will mount right into the counter top.

If I want to have juice without the pulp, I will definitely use the centrifugal juicer I have. Mine is the Breville, but there are many on the market above and below the Breville in performance and price. I use the Breville to juice hard vegetables like carrots and beets, and also apples. The feed chute is large and takes less preparation time than the smaller chute models do. This juicer also has the pulp collection bin off to the side which makes it so I can juice more without having to empty the pulp out of the juicer. This juicer will juice the kale quite dry and I also have put the tougher Swiss chard and spinach through it as well. It does great with celery and other medium hard vegetables. My juicer is 2 speed and will handle fruits if I don't want the pulp. Sometimes I have put the cores from the pineapple and the pineapple rind through this juicer. The rind gives it a slightly different flavor which doesn't bother me if I am putting other flavors with the pineapple. I also throw a part of lemon or lime into the mix when doing vegetables, and sometimes ginger root.

If I am juicing grasses as part of the mix, I always use my wheat grass juicer. Mine is an electric model, Tribest solo star. My daughter has one of the Omega wheat grass models, and hers works very well. They are masticating juicers with a single auger. The auger type juicers, and there are many to choose from, are the very best for juicing the grasses and getting the most juice from them. The grasses aren't highly juicy, so you want a juicer that will give you as much as you can get. My brother has a steel hand wheat grass juicer. He tells me he earns every bit of juice that he gets. It definitely takes more time to juice with the hand model. I have juiced my kale in the wheat grass juicer and it does a good job. It is slower and if I am going for volume and no grasses I don't choose it. I need to learn patience, because the centrifugal juicer heats the juice as it spins so fast, and the auger doesn't do that. Heating destroys nutrients and enzymes. I have juiced carrots with the auger and although it will do the job, it is harder to get the pulp as dry. With this machine, you can make sorbets and that leaves the pulp in after it is pureed, similar to the blender machines, but definitely dryer.

The wonderful thing about getting a juicer machine is that you can choose one that is right for you and your family from the many available on the market. For pulpy products you can choose the blender types or the masticating juicer. For straight juice you can choose the masticating or the centrifugal type machines. All of them are wonderful as you learn how to use them right. The most important thing is to do it, take the time to learn to use them and then make it a daily habit. This is a very healthy habit. Now the snow has stopped and the kale is waiting for me to make my next juice or smoothie meal.

Some Things I've Learned From Falling Down the Stairs

About six months ago I got up in the night to visit the bathroom. I really didn't want to wake up so I didn't turn on a light. This was common for me. I often wander the house at night when I can't sleep. It was a big mistake. I took a wrong turn and ended up at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck, broken arm at the shoulder, and a broken rib. It could have been worse, I can still walk.

Healing from such a horrific fall has taught me much. The first thing I learned is that we are not in charge of everything that happens to us in our life. I also learned that people around me love me and care about my healing process and want to lend a helping hand when they can. Many will put their life on delay to be there to help. Doctors are kind, intelligent, and understanding. There are many kinds of therapists and you have to find the ones that are right for you. You can be in charge of your healing choices. Diet is very important. Exercise is very important. Don't push till you hurt because you may pay for longer than you want to. Learn to relax when the movement requires it. Don't be impatient because some hurts can take years to heal. If there is pain with movement, the body's energy may be stuck and need to be connected. If it hurts on the right, it may be caused by something out of whack on the left. Healing happens in layers.

We are not in charge. I really learned this many years when my son was almost killed by a drunk driver. I have been relearning it ever since. It is a spiritual thing for me and I know without a doubt that I have been and am being helped by powers far greater than my own. I am glad to know that. It gives me peace. It helps my healing.

People are willing to help. I have many people in my life who are great givers but will never take help. I had a discussion about this fact not too long before my accident with a good friend. I maintain that we need to learn to give as well as receive. Both actions bless us as well as others. Nevertheless, when I fell it was hard to express my needs. Many people called to find out if they could come and clean my house. The healing process is hard emotionally as well as physically. I asked for companionship while walking. Friends came once or twice a day for months to walk with me. I don't know if they will ever know how much emotional good they did while walking a mile with me. Meals were shared with us. My husband and son got to the point they wanted to collect the recipes because the meals were so good. You can't ever pay it back, you have to pay it forward.

While in the hospital the food I was receiving didn't work for me. I had experienced this situation before but this time I complained. I complained to everyone who walked in the door. One morning the nurse on duty was a man. He pointed his finger at me and said, "We are not going to have this conversation. We can't solve it and so we aren't going to talk about it." I was taken back and didn't discuss it with him further, but by the end of the day he had talked to those in charge and got some action. I learned that the meals were specified by my doctor so I had to take it up with him. That was hard because he hadn't come around because he had a cold. I finally got his OK for a diet change and my body started to function better. The nutrition people were very kind and willing to go the extra mile to help me.

I was admitted to rehab. That was a good decision and I learned enough to be safe at home. One therapist taught me to relax as he moved my arm in ways I couldn't. It actually felt good. I would come back to this thought later when my experience with a therapist hurt me so bad it took a week to recover from the swelling. I do not believe in the saying: "No pain, no gain." I realize there may be times when pushing just a little harder will build the muscles stronger, but when you are trying to heal from surgery and a broken body you have to be careful to not cause that process to break down. If you hurt, say something. Not everyone has the same training nor attitude about healing. Find therapists that work for you. You don't have to mold yourself into their attitude.

Nights were very hard for me. I don't think I got much sleep that first month of healing. Jumpy legs were a very big night enemy. I knew I needed to increase my intake of calcium so I really loaded it on. The night I stretched and got a Charlie horse I knew I wasn't getting enough of something. I tried magnesium, and other minerals but that didn't take away the restlessness. One day I had a vitamin D discussion with my brother. I decided to increase my vitamin D intake and that did work well. The pain medicine didn't work for me. I realize that when you hurt the healing doesn't progress as fast, but that medicine caused me constipation and I always felt like I was floating when I took it. There are other ways of controlling pain. Omega 3 is a good anti-inflammatory. If you take large doses the body uses it that way. Another thing that works for me is Enzymes. Taken on an empty stomach they work as anti-inflammatory agents. Enzymes with Serrapeptase work especially well and the ones that are a combination with that ingredient work even better. Getting enough good quality protein is essential when healing the body. If you scrimp the healing will take longer.

I have a whole body vibration machine run by an electromagnet, that helps me strengthen my muscles and move the lymph. It helps in so many ways, but I couldn't use it for more than 2 months because of the broken and healing bones. I was so impatient that some nights I would sneak in there and just vibrate my jumpy legs. That helped so much. when the day came I could finally stand on the platform and vibrate my whole body I rejoiced. That machine improves sleep, builds muscles, and gives me such an energy lift. Some days I just do a mild exercise and some days I have it give me a huge bounce. I do that when my sore aching body can take a little more. The vibration machine is easier on my joints than walking around the block. A couple of times I have been swimming. I wish I was more independent and that would be something I'd do more often. It is a wonderful exercise and soothes the soreness as I move. I can't really swim regularly because of my injured arm, but I am getting better at the strokes as I work at it.

I have a therapist who does Upledger Cranial Sacral and Zero Balancing. She has worked on my sore neck and body 1 to 3 times a week since I fell down the stairs. Through this modality of balancing my meridians and working with the body's energy, I have been comfortable with my healing most of the time. I wear a compression sleeve on my arm and hand to help keep down the swelling which is still a problem even 6 months later. I soak in the hot tub whenever I get a chance. The first time I stepped into the tub with my left foot I discovered that I could not feel hot or cold with that foot or leg. I use that as a sign of my nerve recovery as the feeling of hot and cold have started to come back. I have been extremely sensitive to being bumped on that side of my body, but am starting to be able to walk outside barefoot. I count that as a sign of healing and rejoice. Nerves are very slow healers, but they can heal.

At first after my accident I was so covered with bruises that I couldn't even feel the hurt of the breaks and damaged nerves. As those bruises healed I discovered other hurts. I am to the point now that my muscles and joints that have been damaged are telling me about it. The excess lymph is still draining out of my head and neck. Some days I can turn my head all the way over to the side quickly. Some days it is like wringing out a sponge to make it move. It will move if I am patient and take the time to do it slowly. What I am learning is that as I move the lymph out of that area, it moves easily. Lymph moves better if I drink enough and get enough exercise and high quality protein. The presence of excess lymph indicates to me that there is still a lot of healing going on and I need to let it.

The more I move the less I hurt as long as I don't push my body in directions that it can't go. Attitude is important in making the healing process work. When you hurt it is hard to make the effort to move. Relax, smile, move, and enjoy every part of life that you can while you are healing. Do not listen to the guy who tells you if you don't move today you won't be able to tomorrow. Honor your body's need for rest and allow it to have the time to do it. Eighty percent of your body's energy is required for healing. Plan your healing life that way and it will go more quickly. Remember, you are not in charge. Seek Divine Guidance in the healing process and accept the help that you need. Your body has its own agenda and will heal the parts it wants to first. That may not be your agenda, but accept it and be glad for any healing.

While I would not recommend anyone fall down the stairs as a way to learn the things I have learned, I am glad to have learned not only the things about healing, but compassion for others who have struggles and adversities in their lives. I am grateful for the love that has poured into my life from others who care. I am pleased to know that there are things I can still do to help carry the load of life needs for those who care about me and for those who have needs.

Quick Scalding or Blanching

Reading in an instruction book how to scald tomatoes when making salsa created a need to be creative. The instructions said to dip each tomato into boiling water for 6 seconds. With 3 bushel of tomatoes waiting to be peeled, there certainly was a need to go faster than that. I remembered visiting my neighbor last year and watching her accomplish that task. It was so amazing to watch her procedure. She had a bag that she put a couple of gallons of tomatoes into. This bag was made out of a mesh type material. She just dipped the bag full of tomatoes into the boiling water, waited the time, pulled the bag out and dumped the tomatoes into cold water to cool for equal time.

Last year after visiting my tomato canning neighbor I procured a bag. Since that time I have used that bag to blanch corn on the cob, broccoli, summer squash, scald tomatoes, and scald peaches.

Putting corn in the blanching bag

Bags full of corn ready to blanch

Putting corn into boiling water

Loop the handles of the bag over the pot handles

Pots heating on cache cooker in garden shed

Timing the blanching process

Removing bag of blanched corn from boiling pot

Put hot ears of corn in cold water in cooler.

When corn is cold enough you can freeze on cob or cut off .

I didn't do pears this year or I would have used it for that also. It is so fast to scald or blanch the food using a mesh bag. You save time bringing your water to a boil, because you can use the same water over and over again. You save time putting the food in the water and you really save a lot of time getting the food out of the water. You also save space. The same job can be done with a blanching pan, but who needs to store another pan the rest of the year. There is also a savings of money because you don't have to buy another pan to do the job.

The blanching and scalding times differ depending on the type of food and what you are doing with it. There is a wonderful chart giving you some valuable information on Blanching vegetables for freezing posted by the University of Minnesota Extension.

If you want to scald fruits or tomatoes for peeling to use fresh, only scald for 6 to 10 seconds. For peeling the food before canning you may want to opt for quicker peeling and leave the food in the boiling water as long as 20 seconds. I prefer using the shorter scalding time because I like to cut the fruit in half or core it before the skin slips off and i am left holding a slick fruit that is harder to cut and handle.

You can purchase a blanching/scalding bag from http://www.juicersandjuicing.com/contact. Just send them an email to get the information. You will be glad you did.

I just want to add a note to this article after using this information for several years.  I was having a hard time putting my eggs into the boiling water without them cracking.  I decided to use my blanching bag to lower them all at once into the boiling water and it works like a charm.  I have boiled eggs for my whole life by bringing the heat up with them in the water.  I learned rather recently that if you put the raw egg into boiling water they will be easier to peel as hard boiled eggs.  Indeed they are and now I know how to get them in and out of there easily.