Homemade Strawberry Jam

I’ve always been on the hunt for a delicious, natural (almost) sugarless jam. Yet every time I pick one up off the shelf I read the first few ingredients and get immediately perturbed. The amounts of added sugar and preservatives is astonishing. So I thought I might try making my own.

Strawberry jam has always been my favorite so I took a trip to the farmers market in search for the perfect, ripe strawberries to try this recipe with. Combined with the tartness from a lemon and the warm citrus essence from an orange, the strawberries cooked over the stovetop for about 30 minutes total. Adding chia seeds offers a natural thickener to help the consistency be a bit more jam-like as opposed to a compote.

On the stove, heat a pan on medium low heat while you rinse the berries. After washing remove the stems and chop the berries into slices of 4 - depending on how big your berries are. Slices should be about a thimble size so that they cook faster and break down easier.

Transfer the chopped berries to the pan along with a splash of water. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the berries start to soften and their aroma fills the kitchen. Continue cooking on medium low heat until the berries are soft enough to mash. Mash until they resemble a semi-smooth consistency. I used the head of a whisk and gently mashed them in the pan as they simmered. You can also use a potato masher if you have one. Add the lemon and orange juice, along with the maple syrup and stir until combined. Then transfer the entire mixture to a blender or cuisinart and pulse on low until smooth. Pour back onto the stovetop pan and simmer for 5 minutes as you add the chia seeds. The consistency should be semi-thick. You can tell by running a spatula through the middle of the mixture and a streak should be visible at the base of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-safe storage container. Let cool, uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the jam is no longer warm. Cover tightly and store in the fridge.

4 ½ cups organic fresh strawberries, washed and chopped
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice
¼ cup organic maple syrup
2 TBSP chia seeds