Tea Time With Jo | Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam

Ingredients:

12oz Frozen Mixed Berries

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon Chia seed

Steps:

-Add frozen berries to small sauce pan (no defrosting required).

-Add lemon juice.

-Simmer over Medium heat until berries break down.

-Carefully, use an immersion blender to get a smoother jam, if you prefer.

-Add sweetener and vanilla. Start with half the amounts and increase to your liking.

-Add chia seeds and mix well.

-Allow to cool at room temperature. Eat immediately or store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Jam will thicken more after it has been refrigerated. 

Consume within 7 days

Substitutions:

You can make a lot of substitutions to this recipe and still have it turn out great! If you want to use fresh berries, go ahead, just make sure to wash them first. If you want to use just one type of berry, you can do that too. 

Don’t have lemon juice? You can substitute it with 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice, or even pineapple juice. You could use lime too; it’s just not my preference. 

Don’t have honey? Substitute for Maple Syrup or Agave. 

Don’t have an immersion blender? Use a regular blender or just don’t blend at all. This will allow for the texture of the jam to be more like a fruit preserve. 

Sweetness depends on the ripeness of the berries you use. That’s why I recommend adding just half of the honey first and then tasting and adjusting as you go. Vanilla is used here to enhance the sweetness rather than actually add vanilla flavor. Feel free to add more if you’d like. You can also add spices for additional depth of flavor. Cinnamon would be great. 

Suggestions for consumption:

Aside from using this jam on toast, you may consider adding it to your oatmeal for extra sweetness and flavor. Perhaps, you might enjoy it with granola over some room temperature sheep’s milk yogurt. I would even add it to a charcuterie board alongside some goat cheese.