It’s a lovely summer day here in Korea! It’s way too hot for my liking, but I’m loving these beautiful, sunny afternoons.
When I think of summer, I think of fruit. There are countless fruit stands all over Korea with reasonably-priced, seasonal beauties. I also know many people who go out berry picking and start to hoard fruits in their freezers.
What do I do with all of this fruit?
Of course, we turn it into jam! I mean really, who doesn’t love jam on toast (or gluten-free oatmeal, or brownies, or yogurt, or granola…)? Most jams are loaded with added sugar, sometimes in the sneaky form of “fruit sugar,” “organic cane syrup” or simply “fructose”. Sugar is sugar. While fruit is a source of sugar in its own right, its added fiber encourages you to eat less as well as helps maintain a healthy gut.
Why add sugar to a good thing?
Instead, we can use lovely chia seeds! Chia seeds are gelatinous balls of goodness, full of antioxidants, fiber, protein, healty fats, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorous. (And we used to turn them into Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia pets!?) I decided to try out my lovely chia seeds in a new form: jam style!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup black raspberries (frozen or fresh)
- 1 cup cherries (frozen or fresh)
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Recipe:
- Add your two cups of fruit to a pan.
- Simmer on low for about 10 min, adding the water to avoid burning.
- Use your spatula to gently smash the fruit down into a jam-like consistency.
- Take it off of the stove and mix your chia seeds into the gooey fruit mixture.
- Let it sit in the fridge for at least one hour.
Then you can enjoy your sugar-free, homemade jam! Not only does this recipe avoid sugar, but it replaces it with lovely proteins, fats, and antioxidants found in these lovely little chia seeds. How great is that!?
