3 recipes for homemade jams with natural sugars

It’s a way to enjoy seasonal fruits all year round. If you have time and like to sweeten your dishes, this is the best way to do it.

If you have some fruit left over, a good option to prevent it from spoiling is to turn it into a delicious homemade jam, an ideal companion for breakfasts and snacks. The advantage of making jam at home is that you can substitute the traditional white sugar for another more natural sweetener.

CHOOSE YOUR NATURAL SWEETENER

They give flavor and are necessary agents to gel pectin.

Traditionally, 65% of the weight of fruit was used, but a third is enough. Although the sweetness is very personal.

• Whole cane sugar: contains all its vitamins and minerals. It is tan in color, moist in appearance, and looks like it moves on its own.
• Apple concentrate: it is made from the juice of the fruit, concentrated by means of heat. It has natural fructose.
• Stevia: Stevia rebaudiana is 30 times sweeter than sugar, reminiscent of licorice. Its leaves can be added to jam. In drops, it is advisable to buy it in specialized stores. It does not thicken the jams, you have to resort to the help of agar-agar.
• Dried fruits: dates, figs, prunes and raisins, peach and apricot apricots, which provide sugars and high amounts of minerals.
• Molasses or cane honey: This is obtained by grinding sugar cane and then cooking that juice until the water evaporates.
• Agave syrup: 90% of its carbohydrates are natural fructose. Its sweetening capacity is high, even though it is calorically lighter. Semi-liquid in consistency and easily soluble.
• Maple syrup: very pleasant aroma, it is purifying, sweetening and rich in minerals.

MANGOSTEEN JAM RECIPE

The mangosteen is the queen of fruits in Asia, for its flavor and for helping to strengthen the body. One of the most important healing qualities of mangosteen is to combat candidiasis, with treatments at the intestinal and vaginal level.

Mangosteen, which can be purchased in specialty stores or online, provides a pleasant flavor and helps fight inflammation and infections caused by fungi, viruses, and bacteria.

Coconut sugar is used as a sweetener. It has a low glycemic index and is a healthy alternative to white sugar.

Ingredients for 450 g

• 200 g mangosteen pulp
• 4 g apple pectin
• 70 g coconut sugar
• 15 ml lemon juice
• 150 ml water

Preparation

1. Heat the coconut sugar in 150 ml of water until dissolved.
2. Add the mangosteen pulp. Mix while heating over low heat, until softened.
3. Add the pectin and lemon juice and stir until thickened.
4. Pour the jam into an airtight jar for preservation.
5. It can be served on top of a chia pudding.

UNSWEETENED BLACKBERRY JAM RECIPE

A jam is a great way to preserve fruit, but it usually contains a lot of sugar. This version is much healthier, lighter, and low in calories.

Walking through the countryside at the end of summer and picking some bramble berries is a real treat for the palate. And also, very healthy. Blackberries are very antioxidant and rich in potassium and vitamins A and C.

To enjoy this berry all year round, you can make a rich and nutritious homemade blackberry jam. Replace sugar with agave syrup to make it healthier. It is also important that the blackberries are very ripe, when their sweetness is greatest.

Ingredients

• 1 kg blackberries
• 300 g agave syrup
• Half a lemon in juice
• 1 level teaspoon pectin or agar-agar powder
• 100 ml water

Preparation

1. Cook the blackberries in a pot with the water and lemon juice over a low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom, until much of the liquid evaporates.
2. When they are very tender, add the agave syrup and agar-agar and turn the heat up to high to bring a more intense boil.
3. Remove the foam with a slotted spoon. Cook for about 10 more minutes. It will be ready when it takes on a bright hue and the bubbles are large and make their characteristic “plop-plop” sound.
4. If you like your jam smooth, pass the mixture through the masher or sieve to remove the seeds. Or you can blend it with a blender.
5. Place the hot jam in small or medium-sized glass jars with tight-fitting lids, fill them almost to the brim, snap the lids shut, and turn the jars upside down.
6. If you’re going to consume the jam in the following weeks, you can store the jars in the fridge once they’re cold.
7. If you want to achieve a long shelf life, you can sterilize them in a bain-marie.
8. Place them inside a tall pot well covered with boiling water and leave them for 25 minutes.
9. Remove them from the pot when the water has cooled.
10. Label the jars with the date of packaging.

Use your sugar-free blackberry jam to make all kinds of cakes or toast for breakfast.

BLACKCURRANT AND ANISE JAM

Ingredients for 2 jars of 450g

• 1 kg blackcurrants, already washed
• 3 star anise seeds
• 1 lemon peel
• 1 apple peel
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 600 g whole cane sugar

Preparation (Cooking 30′ + resting 30′ + 12h)

1. Leave the currants to marinate with the sugar and anise for at least 30 minutes, although they can be left overnight.
2. In a wide-bottomed casserole dish, boil this mixture together with the skins and juice for half an hour, checking the thickness and stirring gently.
3. Pour a teaspoon onto a plate, decant. If it holds or goes down slowly, it’s ready.
4. Lather and remove the seeds and skins. When hot, pour into the jars, previously boiled to sterilize them (20 minutes) and well drained. Fill them to the top, cover them and cook in a bain-marie for 25 minutes to preserve.

Councils: If they are not packaged, it is advisable to prepare a single jar, store it in the fridge and consume it in about 10 days. The amount of sugar can be increased if more sweetness is desired. Adding the diced apple helps to thicken and, at the end of cooking, a splash of anise enhances the flavor.