Paleo Berry Jam

Everyone in my family LOVES jam but lets face it, to make a good tasting jam require SUGAR and lots of it! This is not going to work in our household since I have been working to not only cut the kids sugar intake but also the grown ups. For the last month my goal has been to make a yummy jam that doesn’t require any form of refined sugar or natural sugar substitutes like stevia. Since my readers are from all over the world, it also requires that the ingredients be easy and commonly sourced. Of course, my sassy teenage daughter who is a huge Food Network junkie had to ask “But can you make it in less than 5 ingredients?” I gave her my “steeliest” look and said “challenge accepted”! The goal is NOT to make a super sweet jam but something that taste like a super ripe fruit jam…a natural sweetness NOT one like a popsicle.

After playing around with ratios and types of berries, I have made a 3 ingredient PALEO BERRY JAM! I’ve tried it with fresh organic berry and the frozen variety, both works out well. I’ll leave some trouble shooting tips at the end of this post as well…enjoy!

XOXO,

Jenny

Paleo Berry Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of (cleaned) organic raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups of (cleaned and hulled) organic strawberries (fresh or frozen)
12 pitted Medjool dates (You may need add a 2-3 more if your dates are small or you prefer a sweeter jam.)

Directions:

Please all the ingredients in a medium pot and place the pot over medium heat.
After 5 minutes you should notice water rendering out of the berries, at this point give it a good stir (I like to use a large wooden spoon.). You can help the process along by breaking up some of the berries with the spoon.
Once the mixture starts boiling, lower the heat to a low simmer.
Periodically stir the pot and make sure that mixture doesnt stick to the side of the pot. The mixture will need to cook for 30-40 minutes, you should notice that the mixture looking “pulpy”. See picture above.
Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Then use a hand blender to blend to desired level. My daughter likes a smoother jam, I do a quick blend leaving some seeds for texture.
Return the pot to the stove and turn on the heat to medium. Let mixture in the pot simmer for another 5-10 minutes to eliminate any excess water that may have come out during the blending process. At this point of the game, I do recommend that you continually stir the mixture to ensure it does not burn. When the back of your spoon has a nice coating you know the jam is done.
Pour the hot jam into a mason jar or air tight container and let the mixture cool.
Once cooled store in the back of the fridge, it will keep for 3 weeks.
This recipe makes 12 servings.