Why do you use sugar when canning peaches or pears?
I’m going to be canning peaches and pears and most instruction say to use sugar. Is sugar a preservative for the fruit or is it just for taste? I would prefer not to use sugar if I don’t need to..
Best Answer
It somewhat depends on your definition of preserving.
Sugar is definitely added for and too taste. If you prefer less, then by all means use less using a light syrup rather than heavy, or possibly even none. But, one of the purposes of sugar in canned fruit is for texture. Canned fruit in light syrup will deteriorate in texture more quickly that in heavy syrup. At least in theory, the sugar syrup will work through osmosis to replace some of the water in the fruit with sugar making it more firm especially after being subjected to the heat of canning. Without this, the cells will break down and turn mushy.
It seems counter intuitive to me at least, but to get this to work, the syrup needs to be higher in sugar than the fruit being canned, so very sweet peaches for instance would need a heavier syrup to firm when canned than a less sweet batch. It is sad to risk over-powering that natural fresh flavor but is a cost of that type of preserving.
In things like Jams and meat cures sugar is definitely used to help preserve, but those are different techniques. In this case it helps preserve some of the quality, but not really against spoilage.
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Quick Answer about "Why do you use sugar when canning peaches or pears?"
In many canning recipes, sugar acts as a preserving agent, however in canning peaches and pears, it is just for sweetness, which allows us to safely omit it. You can use honey if you like, but my pears were delectably sweet already, so I didn't want to muddy the crisp pear flavor.Do I have to add sugar when canning peaches?
There are a variety of approaches you can take to canning peaches whether it's using the hot pack or cold pack version or making them with or without sugar or with a natural sweetener. The choice is yours!Can you can fruit without sugar?
Canning without sugar is a good option if you want to cut calories or if you are on a special diet. Sugar is not needed to prevent spoilage. All fruits can be safely canned or frozen without sugar. Some low- and no-sugar foods can be canned at home with very good results.How much sugar do you use in canning peaches?
Peaches are a great choice for light syrup, and that's often how they're packed in the grocery store. For a 9-pint canner load, use 1 1/2 cups sugar and 5 3/4 cups water. For a 7-quart canner load, add 2 1/4 cups sugar to 9 cups water.How do you keep peaches from turning brown when canned?
Peaches will turn brown when exposed to air, even air in a sealed, sterile jar. To keep the fruit from turning brown, when you get a bowlful, sprinkle 1/4 cup lemon juice or Fruit-Fresh (which is just a mix of citric acid and vitamin C, perfectly natural).Beginner's Guide to Canning Peaches Without Refined Sugar ~ Large Homesteading Family
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