Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I have a friend who recently gave me a bunch of rhubarb from her garden so I decided to make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. It turned out delicious and we have a beautiful supply to last us quite a while! The recipe is super simple...I modified it just a tad.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh rhubarb, trimmed of green or soft areas, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

1 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and diced (about 3 cups)

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. To prepare for canning: Sterilize 5 half-pint (8oz) jars and keep them hot in the canning pot while

you make the jam. Jar sterilization instructions can be found on www.freshpreserving.com (by Ball).

2. To make the jam: Place a small freezer-safe plate in the freezer.

3. Cook the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a wide, 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed

pot over medium heat, stirring frequently until the juices cover the fruit, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Pour the mixture into a colander set over a large bowl, gently stirring the fruit to drain off the juice -

do not mash the fruit. Return the juice to the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring

occasionally until the syrup has reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.

5. Add the fruit and any accumulated juice back to the pot and stir in the lemon juice. Bring the mixture

to a simmer, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes. To test when the jam is finished, spoon a few

drops of the jam onto the chilled plate and return the plate to the freezer for 1 minute; the jam should

become somewhat firm but not gelled. In the meantime, skim off as much foam from the jam in the

pot then remove the pot from the heat and gently stir the jam for a few seconds to evenly distribute

the fruit.

6. Fill a glass blender or food processor with hot tap water and let stand 2-3 minutes. Dump out water. Fill blender half full with cooked jam and process until smooth. Transfer to glass bowl. Repeat with remaining jam until all has been processed smooth. Pour smooth jam back into the pot and reheat until bubbling.

7. Ladle the hot jam into the sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4-inch of headspace between the top of the jam

and the top of the jar. Use a hot damp cloth to wipe the rim of the jars clean, then place a flat lid and

ring on the top of each jar, tightening the ring to just finger-tight.

8. Return the jars to the boiling canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch.

Bring the water back to a boil (it will have stopped boiling after you placed the jars in it) and boil for

5 minutes. Remove the jars from the pot and place them on a dish towel - do not touch them or

press down on the lids. After about 1 hour, all of the lids should have popped/sealed. If any of the

lids are able to make a popping sound when lightly pushed on, keep them refrigerated as they have

not been processed properly for room temperature storage. Allow the sealed jars to remain

untouched for 24 hours before storing.

source: adapted from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff

http://w w w .smells-like-home.com/2012/06/rhubarb-straw berry-jam/

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