Here’s a simple challenge for you. Go grab a spoon and see what your jam tastes like. Really taste it. Does it taste more like fruit or sugar? There is a pretty good chance it tastes most like sugar, even if you made it yourself. Here’s why: homemade raspberry jam calls for 3 cups of mashed berries and 5.25 cups of sugar. Almost double the sugar to fruit!  Of course jam tastes more like sugar than fruit.

Commercial jam contains high fructose corn syrup and even less fruit because fruit is the spendy part of the recipe.  So you get just a  hint of fruit in commercial jam, with more of a “natural and artificial flavoring added” kind of taste.

What we use instead at our house tastes like lightly sweetened REAL FRUIT and it is sooo yummy. Here is how I do it.  Leave frozen berries out overnight to thaw (adjust the amount according to your family size or meal plan). In the morning, mash the fruit slightly and add raw honey to taste. Add a teaspoon of ground chia seed to thicken. Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  Add more ground chia if you want it thicker, but know that the consistency will be slightly thinner than homemade jam but so much fruitier.

If you want a thick jam, another option is to blend a few medjool dates  with a cup of berries, adding ground chia seed as needed to thicken. Then add more  whole berries to the mix and enjoy!  This one can also double as pie filling.

Your family has a vision of jam and this won’t be quite the same.  I’ve found that it works much better to introduce it as something new and completely different, perhaps calling this fruit sauce.  It sounds good and tastes good and there are no preconceptions to deal with.

These store for about a week in the fridge. Use on pancakes, waffles, toast, oatmeal or homemade yogurt.

Mellonee