For sugar replacement people: when making mine, I replace half of the sugar with Splenda. But I never replace more than that. Stevia seems more potent and would not work with a 1:1 ratio like Splenda. I wouldn't completely take it out though and replace it - the sugar develops flavor, texture, and performs an important function with fruit: since fruit is mostly water, the sugar draws and binds to the water (since sugar is hygroscopic) - this bind is so tight that it prevents micro-organisms to grow.
Here is what I did. This was early on when I was first starting food photography, just warning ya ;-)
http://whisktogether.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/strawberry-lemon-marmalade/
Mary Ellen: thank you so much for this information! For folks working with sugar replacers, it is so nice to know what works/what doesn't. I will put this word of caution out there though: bacteria still can be present in jams/jellies even in very low concentrations, so it is best to keep them refrigerated after making them, consuming your jam/jelly within 2-3 weeks from the day it is cooked. Yes, the hygroscopic nature of sugar does prevent them due to the very low moisture level available to the bacteria, but it doesn't eliminate them. Better to be safe than not! Best, Kim@KAF
June 22, 2013 at 9:31am