Chia Jammin!

I had a big bag of partridge berries (Lingon Berries) that I had been putting off making into Jam for a while now. Mostly because I knew these superfood berries were bursting with vitamin C and antioxidants and I hated the thought of adding the cups of sugar that generally go into making jam-like consistency.

This morning however, as I was skimming through the health food magazine that my ever so kind neighbour drops periodically onto my front porch (because I have the best neighbours!) I saw this chia jam recipe. It was meant to be I thought so I immediately pulled out my partridgeberries and had super tasty jam in just a few minutes!

Chia seeds are full of omega 3s, vitamin B1 and copper. They are also high in fiber, aid digestion, and promote heart health. Best of all though, they absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquids which makes them great for thickening berry mixtures without adding tons of sugar!

You can use any berries with this recipe but this is the recipe I made this morning.

2 cups of fresh or frozen partridge berries
1/4 cup water
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup (less if it is a sweet berry I would think)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat berries, water, maple syrup, and cinnamon over medium heat for 5 minutes. Mash the berries into jam consistency as they cook. Remove from heat and add vanilla and chia. Let cool and enjoy on your favourite snack base!

Recipe from alive magazine November 2024 issue (I substituted partridge berries for cranberries). My beautiful neighbour 
drops these magazines for me from The Natural Health Shop on Stavanger Drive, St. John’s. If you live in St. John’s you can shop local for the best selections of healthy whole foods and supplements at this friendly neighbourhood shop!