Winter berry and pear jam

Wow, life has been pretty “jam-packed” for all of us recently and of course with the run up to Christmas it just keeps getting more crazy. Catherine’s going back to work this week (good luck, Cat!), so we’re sharing with you a super-douper easy-peasy jam recipe. Now THIS is the kind of Christmas jam you won’t mind getting stuck in! (ok, I’m done with the puns). Simple, delicious, packed with goodness and free from refined sugar. What’s not to love?!

Jam is such an easy and lovely toast topper/sandwich filler but it’s just so darn sweet for little ones with all that sugar, so we love our berry-filled version with a hint of Christmassy spices and ground flaxseed to bind it all together and create that lovely jam consistency without all the extra ingredients kids don’t need. My boys LOVE this, and would eat it all the time if they had the chance. In fact the other day we ate some on toast at breakfast, jam and cashew-butter sandwiches at lunch and then had a generous dollop in yogurt after dinner! May have been a bit much, but hey, it was one of those days! It’s just as well though as the down side of not adding a load of sugar is that it’s no longer actually a ‘preserve’ and so doesn’t keep for more than 4-5 days in the fridge. That’s why this recipe only makes a small quantity for you to enjoy quickly.

We doubt you’ll be leaving it sitting un-touched in the fridge for long anyway, especially when you think about how full of vitamins it is, there’s really no excuse not to eat it…. unless you or your baby are wearing white that is….(speaking from experience here).

Ingredients
1 pear
1 cup frozen/fresh mixed berries (i.e. black forest/ winter)
1 tsp golden linseeds/flaxseeds (optional, for added texture)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground flaxseed*
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Peel, core and slice the pear
2. Add pear to a saucepan with a tablespoon of water, cover and simmer gently over a low heat until the pear starts to soften (a few minutes).
3. Drain off any excess water and add the berries, flaxseeds (if using), ground cinnamon and cloves to the pan with the pear.
4. Return to heat and simmer until the berries break down and all ingredients can be crushed together (about 10-12 minutes, depending on whether you used fresh or frozen fruits). Mash/ blitz to your desired texture.
5. Remove from the heat and stir through the ground flaxseed and lemon juice.
6. Pouring into a sterilised glass jam jar and allow to cool. Seal and store in the fridge
7. Enjoy cold from the fridge within 4-5 days

Tip: If you prefer your jam a little sweeter, especially if your berries are particularly sharp, try adding 1-2 medjool dates, pitted and finely diced when you add the berries, and cook until all the fruits are soft.

*Tip 2: For best binding qualities from the flaxseed, use freshly ground seeds (a clean coffee grinder is perfect for this!) as once they’re ground, flax goes rancid quickly and loses it’s binding properties… you’ve really no idea how long that ground flax has sat on a shelf in the shop!