When the leaves start to change colors, it’s time to make a hearty fruity spread for the winter. Cranberry Chia Seed Jam is an excellent choice because it combines two of fall’s most popular flavors: cranberries and chia seeds. The jam can be made with a variety of different fruits, including apples and pears, but this recipe focuses on cranberries. It will take you about 30 minutes to make your first batch!
Ingredients:
***Cranberries-two bags, preferably organic. ***Chia seeds-one cup. Honey or maple syrup-to taste (about one cup). Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to balance the acidity of the cranberries (optional). Cinnamon and cloves for extra flavor and spice! A blender is required to blend up all of these ingredients into a smooth jam consistency. If you don’t have a blender then leave your chia seeds whole so they can be strained out later with cheesecloth or nut milk bag after cooking.
*Directions: **Combine berries and honey in large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally about 15 minutes. Add lemon juice if desired; continue to heat and stir for about five minutes or until mixture thickens.
*Add chia seeds, cinnamon, cloves and salt to the berry mix; cook on medium-low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk for another 15 minutes. **Strain out chia seeds with cheesecloth after cooking if leaving them whole when blending ingredients in blender (or use nut milk bag). Cool jam before storing in airtight container.
*Enjoy!
To make this recipe, you’ll need a set of tools. Below you’ll find what you’ll be needing and how to make sure you’ve got the right tools.
– You will need a pot. Any size will work but if you have something with a larger capacity, the recipe process should be easier for you. The product description below has some suggestions to help determine your appropriate size.
– You’ll also want a colander, or another container that can hold and strain boiled water out of cooked fruit while retaining all juice in the mixture before it is cool enough to transfer into jars for storage/further cooking. This device is used as protection so that both hot liquid on hands and spilled juices cannot make contact with anything other than edible parts of food (e.g., countertops).
– A recipe scale is optional but recommended. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, it’s also ideal to use measuring cups with volume measurements.
– It’s important that the sugar used in this recipe be white granulated cane sugar or raw/unrefined sweeteners instead of artificial sugars like corn syrup. This will yield better results for your fermentation process, as well as provide nutrition benefits by keeping natural vitamins present in the final product.
Making homemade jam without using refined table sugar can make all the difference because no other ingredients are needed (like pectin), which is a great way to avoid artificial sweeteners.
What you need to know before Making homemade jam
If you are looking to make your own homemade jam, the first thing you need to keep in mind is that it takes time. There’s no short cut for cooking fruit down into a sweet spreadable substance and if you’re not willing to wait, then consider buying some from the store – there are plenty of delicious options out there waiting for you! If however, patience isn’t an issue and you want to enjoy a healthier alternative than what’s on offer at the grocery store or farmer’s market, read on…
What are cranberries? They’re small berries which grow in groups on low-lying bushes. Their color ranges from red to deep purple depending on how ripe they are – so you’ll get more flavor out of them if they’re allowed to ripen before picking! Once picked, their aroma changes slightly too: it becomes less sweet and pleasant smelling but there is something special about these tart little fruits…they help promote healthier skin thanks to all those antioxidants found inside. Plus, because they have such a high water content once cooked down into jam or jelly form, their color makes for an enticing spread on toast or crackers.
The cranberries will be ground down into a paste-like consistency, to which the lemon juice and vanilla extract are added; these two ingredients allow this recipe’s flavor profile to develop further than just that of tart fruit alone. It is then left in the oven to cook for around 20 minutes – but halfway through you’ll need to give it a good stir so that everything cooks evenly. Once finished cooking, your jam should have reduced some (by about half) while also becoming thicker and more concentrated in flavour! You can adjust with extra water if needed before potting up what remains in the pan when cooled: use jars or tins lined with wax paper or greaseproof paper to avoid rusting.