Mixed Berry Jam
Published September 20, 2010 | 
This is certainly new to me. I’ve never made jelly, jam or preserves, nor have I ever tried to pickle anything. I guess what they say is true, necessity is the mother of invention. That may be a disproportionate comparison, but when I recently discovered sprouted grain English muffins, I was in need of a fruit spread to top it off. This was about as easy as it gets. It’s not as sweet as traditional jams or jellies you might by in the grocery store because it’s not loaded down with sugar and preservatives. My version is more tart. This is a taste-as-you-go kind of recipe. There are many things you can do to heighten the sweetness. I’ll share with you the basic recipe I used and I encourage you to experiment with it until it pleases your taste buds. Feel free to mix and match your favorite fruits, too. Please share with me any interesting flavors you try.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup fresh, organic strawberries
- 1 cup fresh, organic blueberries
- water (enough to cover berries)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs granulated date sugar (if you don’t have this, you can substitute it with agave nectar or honey to taste)
- a few drops stevia/honey (*optional for additional sweetness)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum, if needed (a natural thickener)
- dash sea salt
- Place berries in small saucepan and cover with water.
- Heat on medium high and bring to a simmer.
- Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
- Add all ingredients (except xanthan gum) after about 10 minutes, when the sauce begins to thicken and fruits begin to break down.
- If sauce is not thickening after 20-30 minutes, add xanthan gum and allow to simmer until it reaches desired thickness. Keep in mind, the jam will continue to thicken a little bit as it cools.
I make apple sauce following the same guidelines with organic apples (no sugar). Contrary to the original recipe that says to remove the apple’s skin, I leave it. I just cut the apples in small pieces. Does not need thickener for that one.
We add cinnamon to taste when we serve it.
Hi Mindy,you won’t believe me but just today I was thinking of making my own jam and lo and behold! got online and saw your recipe,definitely would try it today.Where did you find the muffins?
Thanks.
That’s too funny, Lee! I got the muffins at Publix in the frozen breads section. It’s Ezekiel brand.
That’s a great idea, Mel! I’ll try that soon… especially for fall! Yum. You might see it as a post soon.
Thanks!
Mindy- I just made this jam recipe and it came out fine. It’s a tiny bit looser than I would’ve liked but tastes great. Instead of stevia or date sugar I just cut up some Deglet dates i had in fridge and it’s plenty sweet and tasty. I will be bringing to the ambassador dinner tonight. I’ll let you know if it passes the test,. Peace
Let me know, Jay. That’s a great idea using dates. I’ll try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
Jam came out nice. It did set up firmer once I put it into fridge for a few hours or so before the potluck.
Next time I will need to chop dates smaller to avoid brownish swirls in a relitively pinkish jam.
Great recipe and real simple to do. Thanx.
That’s good to hear. I made a different one today and it’s even better. I’ll post soon!
Hey Mindy, I tried this recipe with apricots since I had some of those on hand and it came out great. I added some cinnamon sticks and cloves while it simmered and then took them out. It gave it a nice subtle background flavor. Great simple recipe that can be done with different fruits, I love it!
That sounds great! I made a different one, too. It’s so easy to use any fruit and experiment with what you have. Glad you liked it!