Raspberry Chia Jam
If I had a dime for every time someone incredulously asked, “but just how many raspberry bushes did you guys plant back here?!”, well…. I’d have at least a dollar.
As you can see, we basically have a raspberry jungle growing in my parent’s backyard. And to answer this commonly asked question, we planted one raspberry plant probably five years ago, along with a blueberry bush and some strawberries. The start of an adorable little berry patch, if I do say so myself!
Well… you may notice that there are no blueberries or strawberries visible. And that’s because the damn raspberries took over our berry patch and killed everything else in its path.
Savage.
I’ve never done the math to confirm, but I’d say each year we harvest enough raspberries to sustain at least a small army. and in true Albano fashion, no one in my family eats them… except for me. So of course I feel responsible for ensuring the longevity of our plants and making sure each and every sweet, ripe raspberry is plucked off their vine and finds itself a home in someone’s belly. This of course means that I’m over my parent’s house weekly, picking gallons of raspberries at a time. My freezer is currently stocked with enough to last until the winter…. of 2022.
So gimme a shout if you want some! I will hand deliver!
We typically get two full raspberry harvests each year — the first in late June/early July and the next mid-fall, just on the cusp of the first frost. From what I’ve read, not all raspberry plants produce fruit twice each year, so it sounds like we just got lucky! In any case, we consistently have more raspberries than we know what to do with, which is a problem I’m A-OK with having.
I’ll probably use the raspberries I have stored in the freezer for smoothies over the next few months — and then for baking once the fall comes (I can’t turn on my oven now or my house will instantly become a sauna). However, I’ve been on the hunt for recipes that will allow me to enjoy these raspberries NOW — because dammit, they are staring me in the face daily and I need to know ALL THE WAYS.
Enter: this easy and delicious raspberry chia jam.
Before we get too far, I have a small disclaimer — this isn’t your great-grandma’s jam recipe. You won’t find any mystery gelatin, and we don’t need gallons of sugar. Instead, there are just four simple ingredients: raspberries, chia seeds, honey and vanilla extract.
I’m a big fan of chia seeds, since they are bursting with omega-3s and antioxidants. I sprinkle them on my nut butter toast, blend them into my smoothies and even enjoy a chia pudding every so often (this one is my all-time favorite). When the seeds are mixed with a liquid, they have this magical gelling quality; they swell and thicken (two innocent words that, when used together in this context, feel… cringe-worthy. I’m sorry!), which is exactly what they do in this recipe. You’re gonna want to heat the raspberries until they start to break down, mash ’em up, add the honey & vanilla and then mix in the chia seeds. After some time in the fridge, they thicken, creating a delicious, textured jam.
I’ve been kind of obsessed with making this jam, and then storing it in cute little ball jars. I even spent way too much time and created some labels for you guys, so that you date your jam too! Just print it on some sticker paper, cut out the labels and stick them on top of your ball jars (these are the ones I use). The link for the labels is below for your convenience :)
{{ DOWNLOAD JAM LABELS }}
You’ll notice that this recipe calls for four (yup, you read that correctly — four) cups of raspberries. I typically make such large batches of jam because we have so. many. damn. raspberries. However, this recipe scales well! Feel free to cut it in half (or more!) if you aren’t swimming in berries up to your eyeballs. I also think that frozen berries would work just as well in this recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but let me know if you guys do!
- 4 cups fresh raspberries
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- Heat raspberries in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once they start to sizzle and heat up, mash them with the back of a fork or a potato masher.
- Once all raspberries have turned into a saucy consistency, add the honey and vanilla; stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and allow mixture to cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes, then add chia seeds, mixing well.
- Once the jam has cooled completely, put it into the fridge to set for at least an hour (though overnight is preferable).
- Transfer to individual ball jars or weck jars. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks (or give away to friends & family!).
Replace raspberries with any other kind of berry -- strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry! Frozen berries should work just as well.
I HIGHLY recommend that you take advantage of your local farmers markets or fruit CSAs this summer. Go stock up on all the delicious berries! I alsooo think a jar of this raspberry chia jam would be such a cute hostess or housewarming gift. You’re welcome ;)
