Posted by Renée Leonard-Stainton on 16 July 2012 - 6:40pm

Chia Seed & Berry Jam

The idea of making home-made jam has always seemed a little daunting to me. Firstly, the obligatory cane sugar and pectin just aren't staples in my pantry, and secondly, I fear that I'm going to end up with the 'jellymeat' texture I so loathe in commercial variations. So, instead of using pectin to set my (first ever attempt) jam, I threw in chia seeds which thicken and set it just so. This recipe is ridiculously easy and is packed with nutritional goodness. Sweet success.

Method

Place the berries, honey, and water in a pan and cook on medium to medium high heat for about 15 minutes
Stir the mixture often and make sure it is not sticking and burning because all the moisture had been reduced. Add a little more water if needed while reducing the berries. It is ready when the berries have broken down, released their liquid and the mixture had become much thicker
Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and chia seeds and stir well
Spoon into jars and set on the counter to cool. When cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to dollop to your heart's desire

Ingredients

Serves 10

3 cups raspberries or blueberries
½ cup honey
¼ cup of water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Nutrition Bite

Chia Seeds: These tiny seeds are deservedly referred to as one of Nature's 'superfoods'. Chia is the richest plant based source of Omega 3, dietary fibre, protein and antioxidants. They naturally expand up to 9x their size when in contact with liquid, hence their great binding properties!

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