Spread on toast, crumpets, muffins, and in sandwiches with peanut butter (or often, bananas), jam was a regular tea-time feature when I was growing up. Not to mention dolloped on scones with mounds of clotted cream during wind and rain-battered October family holidays to Cornwall. But, the more I changed by eating habits, the less of a place there seemed to be for things like jam, which are traditionally made with a lot of sugar.
So the idea of making jam with chia seeds really appealed to me. If actually preserving the jam in the traditional sense isn’t a concern (which, let’s face it, with refrigerators and easily-accessible fruit, it doesn’t need to be) why not just make smaller servings of jam with a little natural sweetener? The chia seeds work really well to suck up all of the lovely natural juices and plump together, giving you a jam consistency – and a little bit of wobble. Best of all, it only takes a few minutes! Quick, simple, good for you, wonderful.
Here’s why you should give this Blackberry Chia Jam a whirl today:
- it takes 15 minutes to make;
- You’re swapping refined sugar for a tiny amount of natural sugar, which is not only great for your health but means the calories on your toast are a non-concern;
- chia seeds are teeny tiny but supercharged! They are full of omega-3 fatty acids which are great for brain health, as well as phosphorous and manganese for strong bones. And not forgetting that they give us a high dose of fibre and protein in just a spoonful;
- blackberries are intensely antioxidant-rich, which may help lower the risk of some cancers, and can even aid our memory powers and treat sore throats;
- it will last for at least a week in the fridge (if you allow it to);
- it practically makes itself, so you’re rewarded with a jar of absolutely delicious home-made jam with next to no effort!
As well as Saturday breakfast being made lip-smackingly good (I can highly recommend slathering this onto toasted rye with crunchy peanut butter); I’ve been enjoying this chia jam as a beautiful tasting (and looking) addition to my morning jar of overnight oats, as a post-work snack spread on sundried tomato oatcakes, and spooned lovingly into pumpkin seed butter thumbprint cookies. So versatile!
I’m already imagining muddling a spoonful of this jam in a glass with gin and ice cubes or prosecco in the summer months… but in the meantime, how about spreading some on your pancakes? I’d love to hear about your adventures with different fruit combinations of chia jam – what’s your favourite?
- 150g fresh blackberries
- 1 tsp raw coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Combine the blackberries and sugar in a small pan and simmer on a moderate heat for 15 minutes.
- Using the back of a fork, or a potato masher, pulp the blackberries until you have a fairly smooth consistency.
- Stir in the chia seeds and spoon the jam into a 100ml glass jar.
- Leave to cool then store in the fridge
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