When life gives you blueberries, make blueberry compote!

This is a great way to make compote because it’s simple, lower in sugar than most jellies and jams, and lets the flavor of the blueberries shine. The best part? All the ingredients are NATURAL!

Why homemade?

The thing is, most store-bought jam is loaded with high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial colors, flavoring and unnecessary ingredients. This recipe takes the guesswork out of knowing if your jam is a healthy addition to your meal or nothing more than a real-food imposter.

Help your kiddos understand the difference

When you make your own healthier version of jelly or jam, help your kids understand the difference between store-bought and homemade. Otherwise, they may think they’re one in the same.

If you really want to get them involved, you can even make it a fun activity next time you go to the grocery store. Do most jelly labels use real food ingredients or hardly any? Let them take a look and guess!

If you’re in a pinch

While there’s nothing like homemade jam (there’s really no comparison), we understand that life is hectic and occasionally you may not have an extra 15 minutes to make this jam. In those instances, the closest real-food version we’ve been able to find is St. Dalfour’s fruit spread. While this spread doesn’t use organic berries, it does use mostly simple ingredients (strawberries, unsweetened fruit juice concentrates, fruit pectin and lemon juice). Homemade is always the way to go but when you’re in a pinch, try THIS.

There are so many fun ways to use this jam, Get creative!

Some favorites:

• Top your toast, waffles, pancakes
• PB and J’s (You’re never too old to be a kid again.)
• A delicious way to add some serious flavor to plain yogurt
• Top a dessert (ice cream, homemade cheesecake)