Sugarless Blackberry, Raspberry and Cherry Jam

One of the reasons I write my blog is to share my love of cooking and experimenting with different foods. There are so many recipes hidden away in my folders, magazines and books. And there is so much food I buy because it looks so good, as was the case when I ended up with an abundance of fresh berries and cherries. I used the freshest fruits for my Rumtopf and the rest of the berries to make a quick jar of jam, using only one tablespoon of honey as a sweetener. It is good and I have been eating it for the last three weeks. My favorite is to put it on a cracker with peanut butter for a quick snack.

It’s also great on my morning yogurt. This is the perfect recipe for making your first jam. I realize cherry season is over but with this recipe you can use other seasonal fruit. It’s easy and doesn’t take much time and effort. I found the recipe in a magazine called Real Simple that I enjoy reading. A little warning that this is not a sweet jam; it is more of a spread on the tart side. The original recipe called for chia seeds and I added them, but I made my second batch without them and I like that better. I like the crunchiness of the chia seeds, but one could easily mistake them for blackberry or raspberry seeds.

A delicious breakfast using my sugarless jam in a crepe with a German cheese called Quark

Here are some recipes for some of the marmalades and jams I have made in previous years. Plums are in season right now and my Zwetschgenmus (spiced plum jam) is a real treat, as are my other jams.

Whenever I come across Italian prune plums I make this spiced plum jam called Zwetschgenmus in Germany

A no fuss plum and blackberry jam that is baked in the oven.

Zwetschgenmus or Spiced Plum Jam

Plum Jam Baked in the Oven

You only need three ingredients for this jam. The consistency is more of a topping or spread than a jam. It is tart and has to be kept in the fridge. ​

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
​
1 lb. fresh fruit
¼ tsp salt
4 tsp. chia seeds (optional)
​1TBS. honey
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Carefully rinse the fruit. Pit and halve the cherries. If you want the cherries to be smaller, roughly chop them. Put the fruit and the salt in a heavy saucepan with ¼ cup of water. Cover and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the raspberries begin to fall apart. Uncover the pot and continue to cook it for about 5-8 minutes, stirring often and mashing the mixture gently. Remove from heat and stir in the honey, lemon juice and chia seeds if you use them. Fill the cooled mixture into a jar and store in the fridge.

Guten Appetit! 
​recipe by
Ananda Eidelstein in Real Simple magazine
adapted by Sunnycovechef.com
​