Ten Unconventional Ways to Use Jams and Jellies

Homemade jams and jellies have been a part of our life for many years. Both Husband and I remember having homemade jams at home when we were growing up and only on a rare occasion had store-bought jam or jelly at either of our houses. When we married and had children, we continued this tradition. I would can berry jams, and in the early years of our marriage, Husband's grandmother would send jars of grape or apple jelly every year. It was a sad day at our house if we had to buy regular jam or jelly from the store.

Both of our daughters ended up marrying men with celiac. Early on, when I would send jars of jam or jelly home with them, they would thank me, then remind me that they don't eat a lot of bread and wouldn't likely use it up very quickly. I knew jams and jellies are not only used as a topping for toast or a filling for a sandwich, but I had never really taken the time to consider all the ways we have used jams or jellies outside of topping bread. 

Why bother coming up with a list? Well, making jams or jellies is an easy way to preserve the bounty. Whether your bounty is berries, peaches, plums, apples, grapes, peppers, or even certain kinds of flowers, it can be turned into jelly or jam that can be eaten throughout the following year. We also try to harvest what we have. One year, we didn't have a garden, but we did have dandelions and lilacs. So, we harvested what we had and turned the flowers into dandelion jelly and lilac jelly.

Mixed Berry Jam and Lilac Jelly

This post is dedicated to my girls. Below are some ways we came up with to use jams and jellies that don't include putting it on bread (or muffins, or bagels):

1) Use it to flavor and sweeten your yogurt. Adding jam or jelly is a great way to flavor and sweeten plain yogurt.

2) Add it to hot cereal instead of plain sugar for a boost in both flavor and nutrients. Like with the yogurt, adding to hot cereal will add both sweetness and flavor.

3) Mix it with sauces to make them go farther. We have mixed jam with BBQ sauce many times over the years to make the sauce stretch farther.

4) Make a sauce or meat glaze out of it. We love sauces. Jams and jellies can make a great sauce or glaze for cooking meat. For example, a sauce made of apricot jam pairs very nicely with chicken. 

5) Put it on ice cream. Jam can make a wonderful ice cream topping. 

6) Mix it in ice cream. Turn plain vanilla ice cream into a whole other flavor by mixing in some jam or jelly.

7) Add it between the layers in a layered cake. Layered cakes take birthdays to another level. Add in some flavor and color with a layer of jam.

8) Bake it in the center of muffins or cupcakes for a sweet center. Add it to your cupcake or muffin cups before baking to create a sweet, jam-filled (or jelly-filled) center.

9) Make an appetizer. Add a dollop to a cracker topped with cheese or cream cheese. Pour pepper jelly (or raspberry, or another) over cream cheese and serve it with crackers.

10) Add it to your charcuterie board. Let your guests make their own appetizer combinations by adding jam or jelly to your charcuterie boards.

Join me in coming up with other ideas for using jams and jellies. Post your ideas in the comments below!

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