Quick Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam

We might have gone a little crazy this past weekend picking strawberries and raspberries, but they were so juicy and so inviting, we simply couldn't contain our excitment. My daughter might have eaten a whole bush worth of raspberries! Eeek! And we came home with bucket load of berries that were begging to be made into jam. Ok not really, they sort of got mushy and jammy sitting in our car out in the heat, and the only way to salvage them was to make this quick strawberry jam, but no one is complaining. 

I made this luscious strawberry jam from the Oh She Glows Every Day. I had no intention of making this strawberry oat bar, but I was so excited after making the jam, I just had to find ways to feature it! This will make a nice jar that can sit in you refrigerator for a couple of weeks and longer in the freezer. It is also quite easy to double batch.

Quick Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam // Makes about 2 cups of Jam

Oh She Glows Every Day: Quick and Simply Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes cookbook

• 3 - 4 cups frozen or fresh strawberries
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• A dash of sea salt
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• Squeeze of fresh lemon

In a medium pot, stir together the strawberries, maple syrup and salt until combined. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook until the berries have softened this should take about 5-8 minutes.

Reduce the heat to a medium and mash the strawberries with the back of the wooden spoon or a potato masher until smooth. The jam will look watery at this point and that is totally normal.

Add in the chia seeds and continue to simmer for another over low medium heat until a lot of the liquid is cooked off and the jam thickens. Stir frequently to avoid sticking. This should take no more than 15 minutes.

Turn of the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds and lemon juice. Let it cool to room temperature then transfer the jam into a clean mason jar and store in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and month in the freezer. The jam will thicken as it cools.

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