My love of apples goes way back.
It started in middle school when I was obsessed with using an apple-scented body splash everyday as my signature fragrance. I always lit an apple-scented candle every night before bed, and I ate an apple in my school lunch everyday up through my senior year of high school. Several years ago my mother-in-law found out about my apple obsession, and gifted me a beautiful Franciscan apple dinnerware set that had been in the family for years. More recently, I even named one of my dogs Apple.
I told you I love apples!
Fortunately for me that old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” isn’t too far off the mark. Obviously eating an apple every single day isn’t a magic fix for your health, but there is science that shows consuming apple pectin supports your health (1, 2, 3).
Apple skins naturally contain pectin which helps support our gut health by providing prebiotics (the food that feeds our good bacteria) to help restore balance in our gut microbiome. A balanced microbiome contains a wide variety of beneficial (good) bacteria to support our immune health, and reduce our chances of picking up parasites or getting an overgrowth of bad bacteria (these bacteria cause unpleasant symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, inflammation, and loose stools/constipation).
If you haven’t tried making jam before because working with pectin or canning seems too difficult, you’re going to love this super easy, affordable, and gut-supportive recipe! This is essentially applesauce but we “jelly” it up so it’s spreadable (but really, you can still eat it like you would applesauce!). Instead of using pectin or canning methods, we use chia seeds and the natural pectin in apple skins to help create that “jelly” texture.
This recipe is really flexible and forgiving, so if you want more or less spices or sweetener, just adjust to your taste preference! This is just one of the many ways you can support your gut-health year round along with incorporating additional diet & lifestyle changes.
Enjoy the warm and comforting flavors of apple with the added health benefits of chia seeds in this jam!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups apples, cored, and roughly chopped (about 4-5 apples. Leave the skins on, and use a mix of sweet and tart apples)
- 2-3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
Instructions:
- Prepare Apples:
- Core and roughly chop the apples. (Leave the skins on!)
- Cook Apples:
- In a large saucepan, cook the apples until the skins start to take on a sheen, and the apples soften and release their juices, stirring occasionally (about 8 minutes).
- Mash the apples with a potato masher until the texture is chunky.
- Add the maple syrup or honey and spices, and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the Lemon Juice & Chia Seeds:
- Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice, chia seeds, and a pinch of salt. Stir well to combine.
- (Optional): If you don’t want to see any chia seeds in your jam, you can put them in a spice grinder before adding them to the apple mixture.
- Let it Set:
- Allow the mixture to sit for about 15-20 minutes to let the chia seeds absorb the liquid and thicken the jam.
- Adjust Consistency:
- If the jam is too thin, add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds at a time, and let it sit for a little longer until it reaches your desired thickness. Just remember to leave plenty of time to let the chia seeds soak up the liquid, or you may end up with your jam being too thick!
- If the jam is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time and stir.
- Optional for a Smooth-Consistency Jam:
- If you like your jam a little more smooth and less chunky, you can use an immersion blender or put the mixture into a blender for 10-20 seconds until the jam reaches the desired consistency (my personal preference is a smooth jam).
- Cool and Store:
- Let the jam cool to room temperature before transferring it to a glass jar.
- Once cooled, store the jam in the refrigerator.
Make it AIP Autoimmune-compliant:
- You’re essentially just making applesauce, but this recipe will still support gut health.
- Omit the chia seeds
- Omit the nutmeg & cloves, and use an additional 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Storage:
- The jam can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Sources:
- Hye-Bin Lee, Young-Soo Kim, Ho-Young Park. (2022). Pectic polysaccharides: Targeting gut microbiota in obesity and intestinal health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35422307/
- Athanasios Koutsos, Kieran M Touhy, Julia A Lovegrove. (2015). Apples and cardiovascular health–is the gut microbiota a core consideration?. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26016654/
- Frank Blanco-Perez, Hanna Steigerwald, Stefan Schulke, Stefan Vieths, Masako Toda, Stephan Scheurer. (2021). The Dietary Fiber Pectin: Health Benefits and Potential for the Treatment of Allergies by Modulation of Gut Microbiota. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34505973/