This small batch of strawberry rhubarb jam is the perfect embodiment of spring. Sweet, tart, and quick to make, you’re certain to be glad you spent the time.
It’s conventional wisdom will tell you that strawberries and rhubarb go well together. Just about everyone I know has a fond memory of a pie or cobbler made with a smattering of sugar and those two ingredients. It should come as no surprise to you that these natural partners make an exceptionally good jam.
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times recently, though as I looked for photos to use in this post, I realized that I didn’t manage to capture the process. This happens sometimes. When I’m awash in fruit and canning more for myself than for the blog (I know it might shock you, but this does happen), I will head into the kitchen and let myself slip into the meditation that cooking something familiar can offer. The camera doesn’t get much play when that happens.
Outside of the stack of sealed jars now cooling their heels in my coat closet, the only evidence that I even made this jam is the corner of that yellow bowl off on the right edge of this picture. It’s full of macerated berries and chopped rhubarb. The new copper preserving pan I got obviously stole the show that day. (I’ve made a few batches in the copper pan so far and I’m really enjoying it. I plan on writing up my thoughts in a more organized fashion sometime soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.)
Now, on to that recipe!
Small Batch Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups of chopped rhubarb, approximately 1 1/2 pounds of stalks
- 4 cups of chopped strawberries, approximately one quart
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons powdered fruit pectin
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath and four half pint jars. Wash lids and rings in warm, soapy water.
- Place the chopped rhubarb and strawberries in a large, nonreactive pot.
- Whisk the sugar and pectin powder together. Add it to the fruit and stir to combine. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Place the pot on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high.
- Add the lemon juice and zest to the pot and let it cook at a low boil for approximately 20 minutes. As the jam cooks, use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to help break down any large pieces of fruit.
- Once the jam has reduced by about 1/3, looks thick, and very shiny, it is done. Double check for set using your favorite method. When you've determined it is done, remove the pot from the heat.
- Funnel the jam into your prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the lid from the pot. Let the jars stand in the cooling water for five minutes. Then remove the jars from the hot water, placing them on a folded kitchen towel or wooden board to protect them from heat shock.
- Let the jars cool undisturbed until they are no longer warm to the touch. Remove the rings and check that the seals are good. Sealed jars are shelf stable for up to 18 months. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
I love my Rada knives. I got some as a wedding gift some 15 years ago.
I don’t cook much but my wife would be over the moon if I won these for her!
To be quite blunt, I have horrible knife skills for a food blogger. My husband loves knives with every fiber of his being. Since we’ve been together for 15 years and I haven’t been brutally murdered, I’m going to assume this is a harmless fixation of his. Our favorite household knife is an 8″ Wusthof chef’s knife. I bought it for him about 10 years ago. We really could not afford it but I’m do grateful I busted my piggy bank to buy this knife. It’s been with us through good times and bad. At this point, it’s kind of a (creepy) member of our family. God bless properly sharpened good quality knives.
Oh my! My favorite knife was a small pairing knife that actually broke today! I have had it since 1999 and have used it for everything and now it rests in peace. I don’t even know what brand it was.
I don’t have a real set of knives. The 12yo set from walmart doesn’t count lol.
my favorite is a paring knife whose brand long worn off handle. A gift from my grandad after many years of his use with it. Would love to try Cutco!
I have a little paring knife with a bright colored handle that I love 🙂
My husband, who does alot of slicing & dicing SWEARS by our Cutco knives. We got them a couple of years ago from a class,mate of our youngest daughter. The ktchen shears are better than any we’ve ever had.
It really depends on the task, but I’d say I have three go-to knives. One is my Santoku. The other one is a sharp…. uh, I don’t even know what it is. Sort of like a paring knife but a bit longer.. something from my grandmother I think. Whatever it is is is a comfortable size and shape and has stayed sharp with minimal upkeep. The third is my $1.50 Pampered chef paring knife. it was cheap but it has also stayed sharp pretty well and is great for little tasks like hulling strawberries and slicing avocado.
I LOVE Cutco knives. My mom still has and uses her that she got 47 years ago as wedding gifts and I would love to own the Santuko knives shown here. Thank you!!!
Have never used Cutco, but would sure like to give them a try. Thanks for the giveaway!!
Well, I love a good chopping knife! However, ever since my father-in-law got some Cutco knives for Christmas, I hate all my knives (which are mis-matched hand me downs;so sad)! I would love to have some Cutco to add to my collection!!
I’m in love with my Wusthof Santoku knives (so much so that I own both sizes). Pretty much every time I open the knife drawer, those are the knives I pull out of the block.
My parents bought a huge set of Cutco knives when I was in high school and I did like them an awful lot (especially the oval sandwich spread knife).
I don’t have a favorite knife, and I’d love to win this giveaway so I can find a fav!
Cutco knives are the BEST!
I have a very old knife that I bought when I was going to college. I love in spite of the fact that it does not hold a sharp edge. It was the first “good” knife that I bought for myself. It does not have a name on it anywhere.
I don’t currently have a favorite knife…but I’d love to get a new set that would be come my favorite knives. 😉
Don’t really have a favorite knife. Never have used Cutco so maybe that’s why. 😉
Oh how I wish I could say that I have a favorite knife. But to be honest, I never have enough extra cash to buy a really good knife, so I’m stuck using dollar store brands…and they for sure are NOT my favorites. lol Thanks for the chance to win some quality knives!
Wow, so many entries! My favorite knife has to be the J.A. Henckels brand utility knife…I reach for it all the time. I actually don’t have a santouku knife but my mother-in-law just raves about Cutco! Thanks for this awesome giveaway!
I love Cutco knives! They’ve been my favorite since I sold them back in college!
My favorite knife is actually the ONLY real knife I own: an Ikea 365 Vegetable Knife. It’s a wide, flat blade with a comfortable handle. It’s not the fanciest blade I’ve ever used (oh, Wusthof!) and it needs sharpening every 3-4 days but it works for everything. Bread, tomatoes, veggies, herbs, you name it. It peels eggplant, chops onions, slices zucchini and dices tofu like nobody’s business. I’d kill for a “real” knife but my budget has never allowed it!
Wusthof Classic 5-inch Serrated Sausage knife
I would love to try these knives. I do not own good knives, but I have heard about cutco.
I am using my grandmother’s knives.
They are a treasure but I am looking for better knives as my kitchen skills improve.
My favorite knife is actually a Cutco knife! I bought it a very long time ago and it’s never needed sharpening.
My favorite knife is a small Henkle pairing knife I’ve had forever. I really need to get it sharpened.
The terrible knives that I used are from a cheapo set from bed bath and beyond. Yikes. I do plan on doing lots of canning this summer as it will be my first year with a garden. Woohoo! Thanks for the opportunity for a chance to win these knives!
I love Cutco knives! My brother sold them one summer about 40 years ago… now the knives live in my kitchen and get used almost every day.
I have some Kitchenaid knives and my favorite is the paring knife. It seems to stay sharper than the rest of them! I LOVE Cutco knives but have never owned one of my own. Thanks for the opportunity!
Cutco knives are great! I have two Cutco carving knives and they’re awesome. And they’re union made (I work for the union that represents the workers who make Cutco knives). I also love my Wustov chef’s knife and pairing knife.
My favorite knife continues to be my Wusthoff Trident tomato slicer — so versatile, from slicing bread to managing very juicy tomatoes.
My favorite knife is a Viking 8″ hollow ground chef’s knife.I have heard great things about Cutco and would love to try them!
I love strawberries and rhubarb. But I wish I had some sharp knives to cut them with — mine are from the dark ages say my teenagers . . .
I recently opened a jar of the Strawberry-Rhubarb-Rosemary Jam I made about a month ago. I’ve nearly finished the whole pint jar in about 24 hours… so delicious.
My favorite knife (especially for coring strawberries) is my little sage green Kuhn Rikon Classic Paring Knife. I’ve had it for 6 years and it’s still about the sharpest knife in the kitchen. I wish they made a whole set in green!
My brother is a chef and for his wedding, 15 years ago, he gave out paring knives as gifts to all the guests. I use those knives every day – I have no idea what brand they are but they bring back good memories every time I use them.
My favorite knife is the Shun 6″ utility knife.
My favorite is a cheese knife my mother gave me for Christmas several years ago. It’s just like hers.
Wolfgang Puck full tang, triple riveted handle Santuko knife. 🙂
if it’s a sharp, small paring knife, i love it.
I’m not sure where my knives are from (they actually belong to my roommate) but they are nice and sharp, which is fantastic.
My mom has this little silver-handled paring knife that I remember as being “off limits” when I was young and in the kitchen with her. When I was finally handed that knife to use on my own for something… I remember feeling so grown-up.
I Love the knife my mother gave me for Christmas…. I love it so much because she taught me how to cook, she took my life, which was about all the wrong kinds of foods (sometimes still is) and taught me how to make food with love, flavour, spices, kindness, and occasionally tears. Sadly, i love the knife so much i just take it out of the box and feel the weight of it in my hand, look at the shine and shimmer of the blade and place it carefully back in the box each week… I’ll use it soon for sure. I just need to find the perfect dish to break it in 🙂
I use a J.A. Henckels chef knife pretty regularly. I’d like to have some that are a little higher quality though.
Hmmm. My favorite knife is a Gehring 6″ bladed one. Guess it would be a utility knife. It’s not quite 11 inches in total length and is one molded piece of steel.
I probably use the old Chicago Cutlery “Chef’s knife” more, but if I could only have one for the rest of my life, it would have to be the Gehring.
I have a knife from Rada that I love. But I am open to try these knives. I think I should win one.
My favorite knife is a large stainless steel, serrated blade knife my parents gave me. I think it’s made by a company called “ForeverSharp” or something like that. My parents got it from a booth at the AK State Fair, where they were so impressed with the demonstration (my dad said to me as he was giving it to me “It can cut through cans AND bread!”) that they bought two for themselves and then one for me and each of my 6 siblings!
I laughed as they were giving it to me, thinking that their enthusiasm was likely unwarranted, and that they’d been duped. Turns out, they weren’t. It really is a GREAT knife, and five years later it is still quite sharp!
Sadly, all the rest of our knives kind of suck, and with both of us in grad school, it’s hardly a good time to be buying new ones. So I’d LOVE to win these!! Thanks for the chance!
I don’t have ANY good knives. I do have a semi-ok chef’s knife, but I certainly don’t enjoy working with it. I think this one will be favorite 🙂
I have a set of cutco steak knives….lovely. Thanks for having a give away!
i have a victorinox that i love – but i also love this paula deen knife i found on clearance at walmart. i was fully expecting to not like it, but it actually has a nice heft to it. probably all that butter!