Make your own jam at some point in your life.

It’s so easy, trust me. No, not like “It’s so easy here’s a million steps to do it”, it’s like 4 ingredients and a pot.

My dear friend is gracious enough to truck pounds of fresh Michigan blueberries back with her when she’s up there visiting. She texts me and I always respond with “YES! 10 pounds please!”. It’s awesome. She’s awesome.

I usually freeze some and we eat the rest fresh or in salads or muffins…etc. But this summer, we just kept eating them fresh until there were only about 5 pounds left. Some had started to get slightly wilted and I was prepping weekly dinners on Saturday so I decided some protein packed blueberry jam was the way to go. An easy thing to let simmer while I got other stuff done.

This made 2 quarts plus a bit and took about 5 mins of prep and a half hour of cooking. Cooking without my help. I recommend you try making your own. Truly, nothing tastes better than when you make it.

My recipe? Dump the 5ish pounds of washed blueberries into a LARGE pot. Add the juice of 2 lemons about 3 cups of raw sugar and cook until reduced by half…ish. You’ll know it’s ready when you drop a spoonful onto a plate and it thickens up as it cools. Add 4-5 tablespoons of chia seeds and stir. Take off heat, spoon into jars, pop the lids on and let cool. Tah-dah! You. Have. Jam. I recommend storing in the freezer (as long as you use freezer safe jars) or keep it in the fridge. Because, believe me, it’ll be eaten so fast you won’t believe it.

Blueberries are an amazing superfood. They boost brain power, have fiber and antioxidants and make the most decadent spread for toast, bagels, spoons… Chia seeds help to thicken the berries to a jam like consistency and add protein! Yes, protein in your jam! It’s also high in omega-3’s and helps lower cholesterol. Boom! Healthy jam. Now go make your own. Xoxo, Erica @uncouthherbalista .