Homemade Date-Sweetened Berry Jam
This simple, whole-food spread relies entirely on the natural sweetness of fruit rather than refined sugars. Blended dates provide a rich sweetness and help body the jam, while ground chia seeds naturally thicken the mixture. It is a wonderful, wholesome addition to your morning toast or oatmeal.
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 ½ cups (about 1 lb) whole blueberries (or substitute raspberries, chopped strawberries, or a mix of your favourites)
- ½ cup pitted dates, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 pinches sea salt
- 2 tsp ground chia seeds (black or white)
- ½ to 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (adjusted to preference)
Optional: A touch of maple syrup or a few pinches of stevia, only if additional sweetness is desired based on fruit ripeness.
Cooking Directions
- Simmer the Fruit: Place your chosen berries, the chopped dates, and the sea salt into a small saucepan. Set the burner to medium-low heat. As the pan warms up, the berries will begin to release their juices and start bubbling. At this point, turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for roughly 10 minutes until the fruit is completely soft and broken down.
- Thicken the Jam: Stir in the ground chia seeds and the lemon zest. Keep cooking the mixture uncovered for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid and thicken the texture.
- Cool and Store: Remove the pan from the heat. Give it a taste test, and stir in a tiny bit of your preferred natural sweetener if your berries were exceptionally tart. Allow the jam to cool to room temperature before transferring it to a clean jar. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Suggestions & Tips
Prepping the Berries: Keep in mind that large fruits like strawberries take up a lot of space in a measuring cup. If you are using strawberries, give them a rough chop first so your measurements stay accurate.
A Note on Appearance: Using dates will add a slightly deeper, darker hue to the finished spread. While this is most noticeable if you are using bright red strawberries or raspberries, it does not affect the wonderful, fruity flavour!
Adjusting the Sweetness: Because the natural sugar content in fruit varies throughout the year, you can let your taste buds be the guide. If your berries are peak-season sweet, the dates will be more than enough. If they are a bit out-of-season and tart, a tiny drizzle of maple syrup
Recipe adapted from Dreena Burton's Natural Berry Jam.