Homemade jam is so simple to make, it tastes amazing, and it's much healthier than most store-bought versions.
These instructions will help you customize your jam to dramatically reduce the sugar and carbohydrate content. It also incorporates superfood and antioxidant ingredients to boost your immunity. Best of all, it's easy enough for a beginner to make!
The key elements of jam are the fruit/s, a couple of must-have base ingredients, and added flavorings and sweetening ingredients.
Below you'll learn how to customize your own superfood jam.
1. Pick Your Fruit/s
You should build your jam around at least one superfruit. Below is a list, and you can use as few or as many as you'd like. The quantities below will be based on two cups of fruit, so just adjust accordingly (for example, if you use four cups of fruit, double other quantities).
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Kiwi
- Cherries
- Plums
- Pomegranate
- Dragon fruit
- Grapes
- Apples
2. Must-Have Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to avoid added sugars and pectins and still make something that is a jam.
- Two tablespoons of chia seeds (besides being an amazing superfood rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein, the seeds make liquid gel and allow you to eliminate pectin from the recipe). This will be added at the end of the jam-making process.
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- Two tablespoons of honey (preferably potent manuka honey)
- Juice of about half of a citrus fruit such as lemon, orange, lime or grapefruit.
3. Give Your Jam a Superboost
Beyond those powerful ingredients, you can boost the healing and immune-boosting impact of your jam by adding any of the options below:
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Clove
- Cardamom
- Mint
- Green tea
4. Choose Non-Toxic Cookware
Jam is best when made by cooking low and slow. Our Versa Skillet or, for large batches, our 8-Quart Versa Pot, are great choices for making delicious jam.
Best of all, our cookware is non-toxic and 100% ceramic – you don't want to make immune-boosting jam, but then sabotage the efforts using cookware that leaches toxins, after all.
Find out more: What is the Safest Cookware to Use?
5. Make Your Jam
- Put all of your fruit (remove pits and seeds, but you can include skins and smaller fruit like berries can be tossed in whole), apple cider vinegar and citrus into pot and simmer on low uncovered.
- As it begins to simmer, add any spices.
- Periodically stir the jam.
- Once it reduces down to a thick consistency (this could take a couple of hours), remove from heat and add honey and chia seeds. Stir and allow it to cool.
- Place into jars. It will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator, six months frozen or a year if you follow this process with water bath canning.
6: Enjoy Your Superjam!
Here are just a few ways to use your jam:
- Put some into your morning oatmeal
- Add some to plain yogurt for a healthier variation on fruit at the bottom yogurt
- Smear onto whole grain toast
- Use in homemade baked goods and pastries as filling
