No need to fear. Besides enjoying the fresh-picked flavor of the ripened fruit now, you can savor its flavor for months to come by preserving it. At first glance, these confections may seem loaded with sugar and nutritionally questionable, but they make excellent substitutes for fat-laden spreads such as butter, margarine and mayonnaise and contribute small amounts of vitamins and antioxidants as well. Definitions Fruit jelly is made from the juices of ripened, or slightly underripe fruit which is then jelled until firm. Jams contain crushed or ground fruit which has also been jelled.
Preserves contain chunks or whole pieces of fruit in a thickened syrup.
Fruit butters, such as apple or pear butter, don't contain butter at all, but rather pieces of fruit pulp which have been cooked with sugar until a thick puree forms. All of these tasty spreads contain sugar along with the fruit as well as a source of pectin, used as a thickening agent. Some require the addition of liquid or powdered pectin, and some can be made successfully using the naturally occurring pectin contained within the fruit. Besides imparting flavor, sugar is an excellent preservative. Though reducing the amount of sugar in recipes is a sensible step towards healthier eating, never reduce the amount of sugar in jelly or preserves recipes unless you are using an established recipe from a reliable source.