Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam
It's that time of year where you just have to make stuff like this - at least you have to start experimenting so you'll have the perfect recipe for the bounty that is to come! And seeing I had a little rhubarb left over from last, and strawberries lying around the kitchen, trying this was sure as amen in church!
Although strawberries and rhubarb is a classic combination in jam around here, I had difficulty locating a method for making it myself. I was a little worried about putting the soft berries together with the more stringy rhubarb - wouldn't the berries go mushy before the rhubarb was tender? But the consistency of this one turned out quite well. Tastewise, it did get a little sour, but I would say adding more sugar would take care of that, or leaving out the lemon. Or you know, just buy rhubarb that's not as tart as mine was!:-)
Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam - adapted from Sensational Preserves
Makes one 250 ml. glass
160 g. strawberries, hulled and halved if large
240 g. rhubarb, cut into 1,5 cm. lenghts
240 g. sugar
½ a lemon
Put the strawberries and rhubarb in a plastic bowl. Cover with the sugar, squeeze the juice out of the lemon over the sugar - reserve the pips and skin. Give the berries and rhubarb a good stir and leave in the fridge over night - I actually left mine for 1½ day, with no problems.
When ready, transfer the bowl contents to a pan, and add the pips and skin of the lemon, tied up in a muslin bag. If the sugar hasn't dissolved fully, heat gently until it does. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about 15 minutes, stirring as necessary, until setting point is reached. How to find out? Put a saucer in the freezer when you start boiling the jam - then when the 15 minutes are up, put a spoonful of jam on the frozen plate - if it sets, the jam's done - if it doesn't, boil some more.
Remove the pan from the heat, skim the scum from the surface. Discard the muslin bag, and transfer to clean, scolded jam jar(s). Keep in the fridge. Eat on toast or bagels - or spooned, straight from the jar (but do use a clean spoon! Everytime! NO double dips!) I love that bright red color!
Comments
As soon as I get settled in our new flat that we're moving into this weekend I'll try different jam recipes including this one. And I'll try to post about Nigella's rhubarb cake this evening. I have so many photos and posts waiting for me....
Hi Molly! I know, satisfying indeed! One day when I get a walk-in storage room where I can store rows upon rows of jars, I'll be making jam and pickles in gigantic batches! But just one little jar is good, too - preserving nature's bounty or something :-)
Kitchen Chick - it is easy! Just make sure your jars are CLEAN so it won't spoil within minutes - it's such a drag to have gone through the boiling and then ending up with a jar of mould within a week...
P.S. I just made a great strawberry-buttermilk ice cream if you have any strawberries left over, and also a yummy strawberry-rhubarb crisp before that. The recipes are on my blog, www.lindseysluscious.blogspot.com