Blackberry Chia Jam
I'm an absolute jam fiend, so much so that I've had to impose a jam ban in the house, I just can't be trusted with it. I realise I'm a bit late to the party here, but discovering chia jam a few months ago was pretty exciting. Super quick, refined sugar free, full of protein, and absolutely delicious.
The healthy jam discovery coincided nicely with blackberry picking season. This year I set out to pick enough blackberries to last the entire winter. We've finally got ourselves an enormous chest freezer that we found on Ebay and i've been busy filling it with as much as I can from the garden.
It will definitely take a few more years of practice and experimenting to grow and forage enough to cut out the majority of shop bought fruit and veg but I feel I've made a really decent start this year and blackberries are certainly not something I'll have to buy this Winter!
Fast forward to New Years day.... As its taken me months to get this far with my blog (have been very busy weaving), i've used frozen blackberries for this recipe. I tried two ways of making it, raw and cooked, i'm keen to persevere with a raw recipe but for now cooked definitely wins.
Freshly baked bread and jam is where it's at for me so I started making a spelt loaf (recipe here) first as the jam only takes around half an hour to make.
INGREDIENTS
300g Blackberries
1.5 tbsp Chia seeds
2 tbsp Maple syrup
2 tbsp Warm water
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)
METHOD
Put fruit, maple syrup ,water and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and mash with a potato masher or fork until desired consistency
Heat on a medium to high heat and simmer for 15 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds
Let it sit for 15 minutes before tucking in
TIPS
This jam will keep in the fridge for around 10 days
HEALTH BENEFITS
Blackberries: antioxidants & nutrients
Chia seeds: Protein, omega 3's & fibre