Bluberry chia jam

Chia jam! This is not something I make very often, but I had a punnet of blueberries in the fridge which needed finishing and I didn't feel like munching my way through all of them. I usually always have chia seeds in my cupboard for using in smoothies or overnight oats. 

When me and my brother would come back from school, there would always be tea on the table alongside some bread and jam or chocolate spread. We would walk through the door and always go to the kitchen first to see what was on the table! If we were lucky, there would also be flapjacks or cake! 

I always preferred to have jam on my toast. My favourite has to be raspberry jam. However, these days, I don't buy jam very often. I think its also because mum would make most of her own jam with the raspberry, blueberry and currant plants she had in the garden, so we never got supermarket jam growing up. My mum used (and still uses) a massive pot to make jam! I have a lot of memories of jam boiling away on the hob when we were growing up. 

What is chia jam? 
Basically, chia jam is just softened fruit which is then mixed with chia seeds. When chia seeds come into contact with liquid they turn jelly-like and absorb all the water. This turns the softened fruit into a jam like consistency which is perfect for spreading on toast! 

Traditionally, jam has lots of sugar in it with a high pectin content. This is what helps the jam set and achieve the jam like consistency. The advantage of this chia jam recipe is that it barely contains any sugar! I just add 1 tbsp to enhance the blueberry flavour, but that is about it. This makes this jam healthier compared to shop bought jam and lets the flavour of the fruit really shine through.

Ingredients 

Makes 400g of jam

400g bluberries 
2 tbsp chia seeds 
1 tsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup

Method 
Cook time - 15 minutes, resting time - 30 minutes

• Take a saucepan and add the blueberries. Turn the flame to low and let the blueberries become mushy. This takes around 10 minutes. 
  
  
• When the blueberries have softened, take a potato masher to break up the blueberries slightly. I like to leave some intact for a nice texture to the jam. You can make it completely smooth if you prefer.
  
  
• Stir in the sugar/maple syrup & lemon juice. 
  
  
• Add the chia seeds to the blueberries and mix well to ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. 
  
  
• Leave the mixture to cool and allow the chia seeds to soak up all the delicious blueberry juice. I left it for around 30 minutes. 
  
  
• After 30 minutes, the chia seeds should have plumped up and become jelly-like. The mixture should look like jam! 
  
  
• Transfer the jam to a glass pot or container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy on toast, ice cream or on pancakes!