Last week we made almond butter, this week we’re digging into chia seed jam. Can’t make a sandwich without the jam, right?
This homemade version will have you eating this ALL DAY, ERR DAY if you wanted to. So damn good made with large chunks of fruit and a hint of sweet and tart. You can use fresh or frozen fruit as your base, so no excuses if you can’t find what you are looking for in the produce section!
By the way, have you read how much sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) is in your average fruit jam or jelly lately? Some contain about 3 teaspoons of sugar in 1 tablespoon of jam. Ai-yai-yai! No wonder why we are so addicted to sugar.
What is pectin?
Back to the blackberry jam! In most jam or jelly recipes, like this very cute one from a fave food blog, Food in Jars, you need to add pectin, which is a naturally occurring thickening agent found in the cell walls of fruit. However, the powder or liquid pectin that you purchase from the store (although naturally derived) is highly processed – the exact opposite of what we strive for when “eating real.”
Make this instead
So, what can you do to avoid the extra processed stuff? Make up a super simple blackberry jam chia seed recipe with fresh (or frozen) blackberries, one apple (or nectarine in the summer), a lemon, a saucepan, and the back of a fork. The water-soluble chia seeds absorb the natural juices of the cooked blackberries and apple (or nectarines). In no time, you’ll have a bad-a$$ jar of blackberry jam to enjoy for breakfast (or dessert).
Ingredients
1 cup blackberries, (fresh or frozen) washed
1 apple or nectarine (depending on what’s in season), washed and chopped into tiny nibble-size chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Steps
- Add the blackberries, chopped apple or nectarines, and lemon juice to a small saucepan, over medium heat.
- As it is heating up, smash the fruit with the back of a fork and continue to cook for 2 minutes until the juices start to bubble and the fruit breaks down.
- Remove from heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and let it sit for 3 minutes. (This is a great time to toast your bread!)
- Cool and store in a tightly sealed jar for about a week. Serve with homemade almond butter too!
Yields ~ 1 cup of jam
Kale. All Day. Err Day.
