By The first garden tomato is always an event and this year it was a Cherokee Purple on July 8th, the same variety, the same ritual — into the kitchen, sliced thick, white bread, Duke's mayo, salt, eaten over the sink. The juice ran down my arm. I closed my eyes. I opened them and Connie was watching me from the doorway with the expression she wears when she thinks I'm being ridiculous but also loves me. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, in our marriage, they're the same thing.
Made gazpacho for the first time — tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, bread, all from the garden except the bread, blended until smooth, chilled. A cold soup for a hot week. Not Betty's food. Betty would call gazpacho "cold vegetable water" and she would be partially right and entirely dismissive, and I love her for both. But the gazpacho was good — bright and acidic and cold and the taste of the garden in liquid form, and I'm fifty-six years old and learning to make gazpacho, which means I'm fifty-six years old and still growing, which is all anyone can ask.
The gazpacho taught me something I’m still sitting with: that the best things from the garden don’t always need heat or time — just a willingness to try something you’ve never tried before. That same week, with tomatoes still coming in faster than Connie and I could eat them over the sink, I started thinking about other ways to capture what the garden was giving us. This chia seed jam was next on the list — ten minutes, no canning equipment, no mystique — just fruit and a little patience, the same recipe for everything worth doing at fifty-six.
10-Minute Chia Seed Jam
Prep Time: 2 min | Cook Time: 8 min | Total Time: 10 min + 30 min chilling | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or raspberries), roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cook the fruit. Add the chopped fruit to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until the fruit breaks down and releases its juices. Use the back of a spoon or a fork to mash to your preferred texture — chunky or smooth.
- Add the chia seeds. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the chia seeds, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla (if using), and a pinch of salt. Stir well to combine.
- Taste and adjust. Give it a taste and add more sweetener if needed, depending on the natural sweetness of your fruit.
- Chill to set. Transfer the jam to a clean jar or container. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The chia seeds will absorb the liquid and thicken the jam as it chills.
- Store and enjoy. Keep refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks. Serve on toast, biscuits, yogurt, or anywhere you’d use regular jam.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 35 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 10mg