There are definitely a few food staples from my childhood that I remember well. Homemade strawberry jam is definitely one of them. We used to go strawberry picking every summer and then have a day where we would make jars upon jars of jam and freeze it away for the winter months.
There was just something about my moms jam. It was the best jam I had ever tasted. Nothing like the store bought stuff, which I could never get used to after having my moms jam.
So when I got married, I decided that it was time I learned how to make this jam on my own and carry on the tradition. Once I learned the secret, it was actually fairly simple. That secret is: a packet of clubhouse freezer jam mix! That’s it. No cooking required, just a packet, some sugar and some time.
Last summer I went a little overboard and we picked over $70 worth of strawberries. That doesn’t include all the raspberries and blueberries we picked as well. There is just something about picking your own fruit and making food with it. Nothing quite like it. We had jars and jars of jam, many of which we gave out to neighbors and friends.
This summer, as we’ve tried to be more conscience of our food choices and eliminate refined sugar from the diet, I decided I wanted to give my favorite jam a little food makeover. I have seen chia seed jams floating around the interwebs and so after researching a few different recipes and techniques, I came up with my own version of clean strawberry chia jam.
The results: pretty darn good! I will say that it’s definitely not as sweet as my moms recipe but we aren’t using refined sugar here. The texture is great, especially after it’s cooled. It really is so simple and I love that when I’m eating it, there’s no guilt of eating badly, rather, true satisfaction knowing that what you made is clean and good for your body. No refined sugar, no preservatives, just whole, clean goodness!
A few things to note. First, I found a few recipes that said to use a blender when mashing up the berries. I tried this and it was a HUGE mistake. Made the consistency way too watery. I reverted back to how my mom used to prep the berries with just a good ol’ potato masher! Perfect consistency. Secondly, in the picture you see one jar of strawberry jam and one jar of raspberry jam. This recipe worked well for both versions. So if you prefer one over the other, it will work! Thirdly, you can use any kind of natural sweetener in this recipe: stevia, maple syrup or honey. Any of them would be great.
- 4 cups strawberries, washed, destemmed and cut
- 4 tbsp chia seeds
- 3-4 packets of stevia
- Water, optional
- Place all ingredients into one bowl
- Mash strawberries until broken down and mix well with other ingredients
- Place into pot and put on medium until it starts to bubble up
- Reduce heat and simmer for about 7-8 minutes
- Remove from heat when it reaches desired consistency and jar
- * Last 1-2 weeks in refrigerator
- * Lasts 6-12 months in freezer
- * This recipe can be easily changed up using any other berry
Love & Blessings,
