Simple yet delicious Wolfberry Jam made quickly with just four ingredients – wonderful to spread on fresh sourdough bread for the ultimate breakfast treat!
Wolfberries (or dried goji berries) are one of the best superfoods. A mere 1 oz of goji berries holds 150%of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A.
Not only that, they are rich in vitamin C, iron, calcium, fiber and antioxidants. Low in calories, they are great for a snack or sprinkled on homemade desserts. Mix them in your smoothie or make your own trail mix and energy bars.
What is a Wolfberry?
A wolfberry or, goji berry, comes from the Lycium Barbarum plant. It has been used as food and medicine in China for over 2,000 years. Now, you can buy a variety of food containing wolfberries – from cookies to juice, smoothies, and much more.
Not only are they healthy for you, they are an anti-aging agent and weight loss aid. In a time when strengthening our immunity is important, they are also a natural immunity booster.
As a natural immunity booster, the high antioxidant levels in wolfberries can help to round up free radicals in your immune system and thus slow down aging.
Wolfberry Jam
This wolfberry jam recipe is a simple way to make a delicious treat without having to pull out the canner. Soak one cup of dried wolfberries in a small saucepan with one cup of water for one hour.
Then, bring the saucepan to a boil – turn down the heat and add the honey and lemon juice. Boil for ten minutes, then carefully remove from the heat. Stir in the chia seeds and allow the jam to sit for 15 minutes until it has thickened up. Then spoon into an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Spread on your favorite toasted sourdough or sourdough English muffins.
Wolfberry Jam
Ingredients
- 1 C wolfberries
- 1 C water room temperature
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds or see alternative in notes below
Instructions
- Soak wolfberries in a small saucepan in water for one hour without heat.
- Mash the wolfberries or use a blender to blend it to a puree. Pour back in the saucepan and add the lemon juice and honey and bring it to a boil. If using agar agar instead of chia seeds, add at this time.
- Boil for ten minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from the heat. If using the chia seeds. add at this time and stir well. Allow to sit until cool.
- Transfer to a small, airtight container and refrigerate. Use within one week.
Notes
- Refrigerate and use within one week.
Did you try making this wolfberry jam? If so, please take a minute to rate the recipe above, and feel free to tag me at @RebootedMom in your Instagram post!
Was wandering how you dry Goji berries , I planted a tree about 5 years ago , never knew what to do with them, would like to make this jelly recipe , but it said to use dried goji berries , was not sure how to dry them , I do not have a dryer ! Hoping that I will hear from you , THANK YOU VERY MUCH .
Oh my goodness, I’m jealous! I’d love to have a Gojiberry tree. Don’t worry about drying them… I only used dried because I could not find fresh berries. Since yours are fresh, rinse them off and rid the little stem (if there is one), then proceed with the recipe as is. 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
I live in Iowa and got a starter Goji berry bush from Tractor Supply. It has been 3 years and my harvest this year is huge. Around 4 cups a week. It is not hard at all to grow and comes up every year. It is simple. Care for it like any garden plant. (water, I lightly fertilized it once, it likes some sun.) Even with our sub zero winter temps the bush has still flourished!! Easy!! If you can’t find one, possibly find a starter on line.
The first step is rehydration of the dried goji berries, which are often dried for preservation as they’re otherwise very perishable. If you have fresh berries from your garden, just use them fresh and skip the rehydration step (and probably don’t add the water, or at least don’t add as much).
Can’t wait to try this recipe, adjusting the water. I have fresh wild wolf berries growing all over my property!
Oh I’m so excited – you’ll love it!!!
so so so so so many gojis this year. I’m up to my neck in berries.
Looks like you will be making some jam! 🙂
Is there a Goji berry jam or jelly recipe that is shelf stable? I have so many goji berries, I don’t know what to do with them … Our trees are so productive this year … so far, they are covered and starting to ripen!
Kassandra, you are so lucky to have so many! I haven’t tried making one that is shelf stable. If I did, and I was in your shoes, I’d likely take this route (and this is just a suggestion – I’ve made a TON of jam/jelly so I’m speaking from personal experience):
4 C of wolfberries/goji berries
4 C. water
Combine both of those in a deep bottom saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the berries are soft. Turn off the heat and allow the berries to sit in the water for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
Add 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 box low sugar pectin
Combine and return mixture to a boil. Blend with immersion blender briefly to make sure goji berries are blended.
Add 4 C. sugar (for low pectin)
Return to a boil — boil until mixture reaches 220 degrees F (set point for jam/jelly). Boil 2 minutes for a soft jam, 3-4 for a harder set.
Ladle into sterilized jars.
Can via water bath canner (pint or half pint – 10 minutes in the water bath once the water starts to boil). After they are done in the water bath, remove, and let sit on the counter for up to 24 hours. The jam can take a day or even two to “set”.
I like to sterilize my jars in the oven at 200 degrees while I’m making jam.
I am not sure how this will turn out .. I’m taking a guess! I tend to be able to make jam very easily and it always comes out successful for me. If you don’t want a jam, you could always do a “jelly” — if that is a preference, you could strain the berries out after the initial simmer, and just use the goji berry water. Keep the same sugar/lemon juice ratio (lemon juice helps with canning safety, and also retains the color!)
Let me know how it turns out. Be careful altering the sugar because you’ll need that 4 C for low sugar pectin in order for it to set.