Raw Berry Chia Jam

Organic blackberries and blueberries,

 raw honey and chia seeds for thickening.

We went berry picking on a rainy, southern morning.  

My berry pickers 

Wow! These blackberries were huge! 

I decided to make sugar free, pectin free, 

raw fruit freezer jam. 

{Kinda sounds like something Dr. Seuss would make}

I found several recipes online. 

I tried one and then another. 

I will list my adjusted recipe at the end.

I mashed the berries rather than the recommended processing. 

I did not soak my chia seeds because the berries were bursting with juice. 

The recipes called for lemon and maple syrup. 

I used lemon and instead of maple syrup, I used raw, unpasteurized honey. 

It took me no more than 20 minutes to process 6 cups of fresh berries. 

The chia seeds jellied in the jar. 

The jam isn't just a condiment, it's a real food available for peanut butter and jam sandwiches  oatmeal or smoothies. 

Ready for the freezer. 

Raw berry chia seed jam. 

Mix together:

6 cups of mashed berries {3 pints of mashed berries}

3 tablespoons of lemon juice {1 tablespoon per pint}

Honey to taste. 

{Could be as much as a 1/4 cup per pint, more or less per jar. Depends on the sweetness of your berries.} 

Then I mixed in:

9 tablespoons of chia seeds {3 tablespoons per pint}

Add more if your jam is not as thick as you would like. 

And I was done. I put them in the mason jars and froze them. 

MMM... good! 

“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

– Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

Value of chia seeds

http://www.livestrong.com/article/283610-nutritional-value-of-chia-seeds/

UPDATE:
I thawed a jar and it is not thick enough for jam anymore. I imagine I could add more chia seeds to thicken it. I am using it on oatmeal and adding it to my smoothies instead.