Rhubarb is, technically, a vegetable, but its strong, tangy flavor pairs beautifully with heapings of sugar and berries. Commonly, rhubarb stalks are chopped and used in fruit pies, but their flavor and color lend themselves just as wonderfully in a simple, tart jam.
Here, I’ve added comparatively few strawberries than you’d find in a typical rhubarb-strawberry jam, as I wanted to focus on the rhubarb, but you are welcome to alter the proportions as desired. Keep in mind the ratio of sugar and lemon juice needed if you do so.
Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam
Yields about 2.5 pints of jam
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb
- 1 cup hulled, chopped strawberries
- 2.5 cups sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup water
Method:
Place the fruit, sugar, lemon zest, juice, and water in a large bowl and stir so all the fruit is well-coated. Let sit for about an hour. Have 2-3 pint-size mason jars prepared. I myself do not can for long-term preservation, but if you plan to do so, sterilize your mason jars and prep them as appropriate.
Heat a large pot over medium-high flame. Add all the contents of the bowl to the pot and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring the jam constantly, for about 15 mins until fruit has softened. Take care to remove any scum from the surface of the jam. Once cooked, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally so the jam doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot. Cook for an additional 10-15 mins.
At this point, you can take an immersion blender to the jam to puree it (as I like to do for a smooth, almost-compote), otherwise remove the jam from the heat, allow to cool for 10-15 mins, and pour into the mason jars. Continue on to processing the jars in a water bath if you plan on preserving them.
Jams stay good refrigerated for up to 10 days, or preserved for up to 12 months.
thebakedbeen 