How can I avoid creating added sugar in fruit preserves and jams and jellies?

Adding sugar to canned fruit isn’t a safety issue. You can safely can in water or unsweetened fruit juices. To can without sugar, replace the syrup with water or unsweetened fruit juices or juice from the fruits you are canning.

When canning without sugar select fully ripe but firm fruit. Fruit canned in water tends to be softer in texture and the colors aren’t as bright. Splenda is the only sugar substitute in the marketplace that can be added to liquids before canning because it is heat stable. Other artificial sweeteners are best added after the canned fruit is opened and ready to be eaten.

As for low/no sugar fruit spreads, there are several commercial pectin products on the market for low/no sugar jams with instructions in the package. Pomona Pectin is the only one that has no sugar added to the pectin product. Low sugar jams bond with a calcium salt to jell the product so alternative sweeteners or concentrated fruit juices can be added for sweetener. There are great directions that come with the pectin products. Ball, Sure-Jell and Mrs. Wages all have a low/no sugar product on the market in addition to the Pomona Pectin.