Blueberry or Raspberry Chia Jam

Ever since I made my first jar of chia jam, I have not bought store-bought jam. It’s so easy to make chia jam with fresh or frozen fruit, takes 10 minutes tops and tastes so fresh, wonderful and delicious! Most fruits are naturally sweet and the chia seeds thicken the fruit so all you need is a small amount of natural sugar (maple syrup or honey) in addition to the fruit and chia seeds. So easy! So quick! And best of all, there are only real, pure ingredients in this jam so you can feel good about fueling yourself with a healthy jam treat.

Traditional jams contain a LOT of sugar. Chia jam does not! Depending on the sweetness of your fruit, you may not even need the touch of extra sweetness of the small amount of maple sugar or honey.

And unlike traditional jams where you need to preserve the sugar-laden jam in their jars in a boiling water bath, there is no need for that with chia jam – just a clean glass jar and a tight-fitting lid are all you need!

Prep time: 2 Minutes / Cook Time: 10 Minutes / Number of Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen Blueberries or Raspberries

• 2 tablespoons Chia Seeds

• 1–2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional and to taste)

• 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed Lemon Juice (optional and to taste)

How It’s Made

• In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat the fruit, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is heated through and starts to fall apart and the mixture bubbles gently.

• Mash the fruit with a fork, or a potato masher, to the consistency you wish – either smooth or with some fruit pieces.

• Add the chia seeds and 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup to your taste. Stir to combine.

• Taste, carefully as it will be hot, and add in the lemon juice to your taste.

• Remove the pan from the heat and let the jam cool for 5 minutes. The jam will thicken as it cools.

• After 5 minutes, stir the jam and spoon the jam into the clean jar. Let the jam cool completely without the lid on and then seal the jar with the lid. You can serve the jam right away or keep in the fridge for 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!). This jam freezes well - store frozen for 3 months for optimal freshness.

Enjoy!

Variations:

• Use fresh or frozen (organic if possible and available) fruit, or a combination of both, which is perfect for the long Canadian winters where fresh berries aren’t always available or crazy expensive!

• Spoon the chia jam on toast, on a cracker, over ice cream, swirled in coconut kefir, on pancakes, waffles, topped on granola, with cut-up fruit, with applesauce, in a smoothie, as a middle layer of a cake, or a hidden sweet surprise in a muffin, on thumbprint cookies…

• If you aren’t dairy-free, serve a small dollop (½ tsp) of jam on top of a cracker with cheddar cheese or brie – Mmmmm.

• Try other berries or a mix of berries, to make your jam. Peaches make a delicious chia jam too.

• Add ½ teaspoon vanilla.

• Add 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, allspice or ginger.