Jam is my jam. No pun intended.
For reals though, melty jam + peanut butter + cream cheese on toast will forever have my heart. Oooo and kerrygold butter + berry jam = heaven-sent.
So yeah…jam is my jam. I like the real stuff though. None of that gunky, sugary jar full of additives. Because honestly, jam should not be that complicated.
One of my favorite parts about Spring is that strawberries are officially in season. A strawberry in season over a strawberry not in season makes the biggest difference in the world. Think, extra juicy, extra sweet and extra flavorful. Exactly what a strawberry should be.
When people ask me what living in San Luis Obispo is like, I basically tell them it’s like one big farmers market. If you are familiar with the area, you completely understand this.
SLO is surrounded by family owned farms, wineries and farm-to-table food. Driving through town and on the freeway you will only see lush hills and acres of country-like feels. The best part is, this farm life gets balanced with beach life and trendy cafes/restaurants.
So now, my favorite part about strawberry season is not only eating them but getting to support my local farmers. Once you try locally grown fruit/vegetables I promise you will never go back to what you did before. You would not believe what a difference it makes, biting into a truly fresh strawberry.
This was my first time turning vibrant little berries into delicious jam. Instead of adding sugar, you will add good quality balsamic vinegar. This is the best way to sweeten jam I think and honestly, I may need to package this up and sell it on our downtown farmers market.
This glazey jam has no added sugar and is packed with fun loving chia seeds that are booming with omega 3s. People love that stuff. The Recipe Redux challenged us to use up an ingredient that had been tucked away in our pantry. Mine happened to be chia seeds. Boom shakachia.
Strawberry Balsamic Chia Seed Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed
- 1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
- 4 Tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Slice the strawberries into quarters, the smaller the pieces the better. Cook the strawberries and the balsamic vinegar in a large saucepan over medium high heat, stirring together. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes until the strawberries begin to bubble.
- Once the berries begin to boil, reduce the heat and mash with a fork or potato masher as best you can. Stir in the chia seeds and allow to cook for a few more minutes.
- Stir then remove from heat and allow the jam to completely cool until it becomes thick. I let mine cool for about 25 minutes before storing in a glass jar in the fridge.
Notes
- Makes about 2 large cups of jam.
- Store in the refrigerator.