The fall apple crop is in and so jelly has been on my mind. We shall cover jams and other preserves as well, but jellymaking takes more technique, so more detail will be given to jelly. If you can make jelly well, the others are easy. Jellymaking is not really hard, but there are a couple of rules that have to be followed.
Jelly and other preserves thicken upon cooking because of the interaction between pectin (found in many fruits), sugar, acid, and water. Pectin is one of the soluble fibers that get so much attention as part of a balanced diet, even though it contributes few nutrients. Its main purpose in the diet is to help regulate the metabolism in the gut, and soluble fiber has been shown to be beneficial for blood pressure and blood lipid regulation.