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 have one cutco knife and it is my favorite. I use it all the time – would love to win these. thanks!
I love my Ginsu knife, but would love to try a Cutco one!
I don’t have a favorite knife either….the set we bought when we got married has a loose piece in the formed handle of the bread knife and the paring knife snapped where the blade is forged to the handle….been ogling a couple different sets but haven’t found one worth the investment yet…
I have two favorite knives a small parring knife from Ramada Knives, and an old knife my husband picked up from a butcher. Love them both. It is hard to keep them washed up since I use them all the time. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe and give away.
I actually do not own any quality knives. It’s quite sad actually considering how much we cook and could use some good knives. I guess that’s why this giveaway appeals to me. 🙂
I have a Forschner knife that I like, but don’t love. I would love to own Cutco knives!
Hmmm, I have different favorites for different jobs. So, I can’t pick just one. But I have been longing for a Cutco knife for quite some time.
I have a Henckels Five Star Utility Knife that I love, but have a tough time keeping sharp.
My all time favourite is an old wooden Opinel knife that comes camping with me. I am a long time believer in travel knives. They are the ultimate tool and have travelled with me all over.
I miss the knives I used at The Strawhouse in Northern California. Well, there was really just this one Santoku that was every employee’s favorite. It cut through everything effectively.
We have a cutco pairing knife that I love. A chopping one would be a nice addition.
I love strawberry rhubarb combinations, especially pie. I have an assortment of knives, only a couple of decent ones. The one I use the most is one that is handmade, the blade sharpens easily and stays sharp for a longer time.
My kitchen knives are pretty cheap & terrible, so I can’t really choose a favorite. My real favorite knife is a little butter knife at my parents house, with an Ernie (from Sesame St)-shaped handle. Must be the last relic of a former set, but I always find & use it when I visit.
I have a paring knife of unknown origin with a very narrow 3″ blade that is perfect for stemming strawberries. It is also amazingly nimble in the hand and sharp. It was my grandmother’s and my mother shared it with me because she knew how much I loved it. My second favorite is a lovely little olive wood handled knife that my friend made for me this spring while she was in Italy. It makes me feel glamorous and international every time I pick it up, no matter that I’m really not.
I LOVE good knives!!! My favorite knife right now is a Ginsu knife. Sharp, sharp, sharp and nice handle!
I love Cutco knives and our most-used is the Trimmer knife, although our Chef’s knife and the Spatula Spreader are close runners up. I use the Trimmer for everything, from vegetables to fruit to bread. It’s great for peeling. Cutco has the best serrated edges. The Cutco set we have belonged to my husband when we met. I thought it was pretty sexy that a 29 year old single guy had a full set high quality knives. It was a good sign 🙂
I love the polka dots on my Globals more than the knives themselves, but my go-to knife is the “vegetable cleaver.” But I would gladly trade it for that GORGEOUS copper pot of yours!!
My mom had a wooden handled knife (I don’t know what brand) that seemed the perfect size and shape for everything. And it was always perfectly sharp… it mysteriously disappeared in a move. I still miss that knife.
Sadly I do not have a favorite knife as I have yet to invest in a really good one. I do have a mediocre chef’s knife that is my go-to knife though. Your copper pot is beautiful!!!
My favorite knife is actually a cheap, random knife that my sister bought for me (probably at Target). I had requested various kitchen gear for Christmas, and she thought that sounded boring so she got me ANIMAL THEMED kitchen gear. The knife is shaped and designed to look like a shark. But I’ll tell you what, it’s razor sharp and stays that way, and I absolutely love it.
Favorite knife…I’ve got a whatever chef’s knife that I use most of the time and (don’t think I’m totally crass) use some no name steak knives for a lot of things. I could use a really good knife set!!!
Heather
I don’t have one! I’ve never been able to afford good knives, so this would give me a start on a decent collection!
My favourite kitchen knife is still a collapsable all-purpose knife my father gave me for gardening when I was a teenager. I still use it for everything!
this is a little bit sad… but i don’t have a single good kitchen knife! knives are expensive, and just not something we can swing right now. we got a small cuisinart set a few months ago, and one of the knives actually BROKE IN HALF while cutting some hard cheese! i hope i hope oh i hope to be the lucky winner, and finally have a knife i can adore!
Unfortunately, I don’t really have a favorite kitchen knife since mine are all so bad! I do have a tiny paring knife that I love though…I think it was from pampered chef. Someday we’ll have a good set!
I’m kind of new to cooking from scratch and still working on building a good knife collection. The one I go to most often so far is a Pampered Chef 8″ Chef’s knife.
we’re still using my husband’s 10 year old set of henckel’s. in fact, i just got them sharpened for him for christmas so that made it a present for him and for me.
Love Cutco knives – an now ex-boyfriend sold them one summer over 10 years ago and most of my family bought them (yay – hand me downs)
I too use my henckels paring knife that came free when I bought my set. It’s the best of the bunch! I do have a set of Cutco table knives which I say have to be the best. I would love to extend my collection with these 😉
day in and day out I use a paring knife. henckels.
My fiance bought me a handmade Japanese chef’s knife a few months ago and the craftsmanship is just exceptional. Before that, I used a Victorinox Fibrox and that was a great knife too.
My favorite knife is my Henckel chef’s knife.
My favorite knife is actually one that appeared in my kitchen one day (I think an old roommate left it behind). It’s a nice 8-inch chef’s knife that has the right amount of heft to it and fits my small hand nicely.
My favorite knife’s actually a cleaver that my mom bought as a set from an infomercial. It’s light enough to slice thin, but wide enough to tackle kale or collards. It never gets stored away.
My mother gave my husband two Henckel knives for Christmas. My favorite is the boning knife, great for so many things! He lets me use them if I PROMISE to wash by hand and return them to the wood block. My history with knives is not great, but I have reformed for these!
I love my Wüsthof!
My favorite knives are the Henckel’s chef’s knife and paring knife that we got as a wedding present.
I favor a J.A. Henckels chef knife purchased for $3 from a thrift store.
I don’t have a favorite knife because the only one i have is a cheap one from Walmart that constantly needs to be sharpened…i need these knives!!
My favorite knife is a cutco smallish knife that I bought from my son’s friend when he was just out of college and struggling to make ends meet. I thought I was helping him, but I really love that little knife!
My favorite is a old commercial Russell 12″ slicing knife which is really good at slicing bacon evenly from full slabs.
My favorite knife is a small one that doesn’t match any of the others in our ‘sets’. I like the way it fits in my hand and the blade doesn’t bend when I cut tough stuff.
I don’t really have a good knife. I do use my chef knife the most, because I don’t use smaller knives for many things, but I have only ever inherited knives from people who have upgraded.
Cutco!! Best. Knives. Ever.
Seriously, I’ve had Cutco knives since 1975. Over the years I’ve added a knife or two here and there. I’ve sent the trimmer out to be sharpened once, and I’ve had Cutco come in and sharpen the straight edges before. Other than that, these things are indestructible.
(I finally managed to get a couple of friends and my stepmother to buy ’em. Now when I cook at their houses, I know I have good knives to use! hehehe!)
I sadly do not have a favorite kitchen knife because I’ve never had a decent one! My kitchen knives are so bad now, that sometimes I have to get my husband to cut through uncooked sweet potatoes or winter squash! I am in desperate need of a good, sharp kitchen knife!
My favorite knife is a small paring knife…it has a black handle and a place in my heart.
I am 67 years old and my favorite knife is my Gandmother bread knife! It has serrated blade like none I have ever seen. I have nerver had to sharpen it in all these years and it slices a ripe tomatoe perfectly! I am so lucky to have it for lots of reasons and most of all because it was my Grandmother’s. MK Lawrence
I almost alway reach for my 8-inch Henckel pro-S santoku, 10-inch chef is probably second in command. I was extremely lucky to get a good collection from my parents and sister about 10 years ago when my sister was living in Germany and they went to visit, and we’ve picked up many more over the years. Since my parents have their 40-year old set still in heavy rotation I have high hopes for these babies!
I love my 10″ chefs knife and use it for almost everything. I would love to have one that held its edge better, though. Mine is from a knife set my mom bought me when I left home…she really knows what a girl needs to set up housekeeping! 🙂
I don’t have a favorite knife 🙁 I think if I had a set of knives like those my answer would be different, though!
My most favorite knives are ones I inherited from my father and are Old Hickory from the Ontario Knife Company in New York, but he was constantly cutting himself with them, so I’m nervous using them and trying to keep them from rusting.
I love my chef’s knife and meat cleaver equally. I wish I could tell you the producer of each, but I inherited them after a friend moved out of my home and they have no identifying markings. I just know they cut well and feel great in my hand. Great giveaway and fantastic blog! I’ve been telling everyone I encounter in my gardening/cooking circle about it. Keep up the great work.
My fave knife is a Forschner (victorinox)that I got in my divorce. : ) My ex’s dad was a “Meat” man so I got one of the knives and my ex got the other. It has been used and abused but after 16 years, still looks amazingly good.
Still haven’t found a knife I love!!!
oh, my go-to knife is my henckles santoku knife – so versatile and stays sharp! thanks!
Unfortunately, I’m one of the few rhubarb fans in my family. Fortunately, I’m one of the few rhubarb fans in my family….so I can eat all I want of it! : )
my favorite knife is a 20cent thing i bought in costa rica after purchasing a bunch of mangos and realizing our swiss army knife was missing. this little paring knife is the best freaking knife ever! and i have some nice knives. crazy!
I still miss a great old wooden-handled knife – sorry, brand name forgotten! – that I used when I started cooking in my parents’ kitchen…perhaps that needs to come home with me the next time I am over there…
i like working with a small santuko knife. it works for most anything that isn’t huge and with my smaller hands, it works faster for me.
i’m hopefully making strawberry rhubarb jam this week if there is still rhubarb to be found!
My favorite and only “good” knife is a little Wusthof paring knife that I use for almost everything. I’d love something with more functionality!
I am in such need of good knives! We were just talking about the sorry state our knives are in. We are celebrating our 33rd year of marriage and still have the knives from our wedding! lol Spring is a crazy busy time in the Nursery business so I was wondering if I freeze the Strawberries and the Rhubarb till late July or August do you think they will work for jam or will it make the texture all weird?
I know I should like our big chef’s knife best but honestly the one I reach for most often is a little serrated paring knife.
I have a caphalon chefs knife which I absolutely love. It is really the only knife I use. Would love to try others.
I have a couple of knives I love. I have a Cutco cleaver that I love for chopping since it’s nice and strong. I also have my parents serrated knife that I love for slicing bread. It’s got little teeth instead of the scallop serrate so really grabs the bread without tearing.
I hadn’t even thought of making strawberry/rhubarb jam but now I’ll be keeping my eye out for some at the market.
I gotta admit that I use a set of steak knives for most of my slicing, dicing and cutting needs. Kinda sad, huh? Doesn’t that make yhou want to award me the new knives???
I have never had the pleasure of working with top-of-the-line kitchen equipment, including knives, but I’ve been happy with my 8″ Cuisinart chef’s knife for a number of years.
I’m embarrassed to say I love my RR Furi knives.
My favorite knife is my Cutco chef’s knife. I would LOVE to have the Santoku as well. I’m going to do a little dance for luck!
My favorite knife is one that came from my grandmother’s house and then lived at my mom’s until I moved out and took it with me. It is a very thin sharp slightly curved knife that cuts the perfect slices of cheese. For heavy chopping it is not my go to, but for a quick meal of sliced apples and cheese, it couldn’t be better, alas it has a plastic handle that has been slightly melted on one side due to a dishwasher mishap, but I still love it.
I have a KitchenAid chef’s knife that I like a lot. I don’t have any really nice knives, but I do dream of a big set of chef-quality knives. Maybe someday.
I’ve been dying to get a new knife and I hear amazing things about Cutco.
I recently discovered your blog and really enjoy reading it.
Thanks!
My favorite knife, it admittedly from a TV ad. Of course, I can’t remember the name of them since my co-worker bought them and I just tossed him $40 for my half. But I LOVE their “chopper” I use it all the time!
My favorite knife is a victorinox chef’s knife. Love that thing…lightweight, sharp, easy to use.
I have been known to take my favorite santoku knife of the magnetic knife strip purely to bash garlic cloves so I can peel them. Yup. I take it down, smash, then wash it and put it back up. It’s like a new best friend who I want to spend all my time with.
My all time favorite is my Henckles 8′ chef knife. My mother bought it for me when I was 29 (14 years ago!) and it is still in perfect condition. I have it sharpened regularly and treat it well and I’m sure I’ll have it for a lifetime.
My favorite knife is my bird beak knife. Before I bought it I had never heard of one. Now I find that I use is for more than just cutting the tops of strawberries!
a Henkles chef’s knife. It’s not the best of their offerings, but it was a gift, and it is light and easy to use. Those cutco knives look pretty enticing.
Henkles little 4″ paring knife, i’ve had to replace it so many times as it tends to get thrown out in the tomatoe skins during canning season.
My favorite knives are my Henckles too. They are the first quality knives I have had, and it makes such a difference!
I sold Cutco knives for about a week in college. The knives are great, but I am not such a good salesperson :). But my favorite knife is one my husband bought for me last Christmas. It is a “Santokette” from Bark River Knives. It is awesome.
My favorite knife is one that came in the kitchen drawer of the mountain vacation cabin we bought 25 years ago. It has no identifiying marks except for a U.S.A. brand burned in the wood handle. The blade has been sharpend so many times it’s curved up…it holds an edge like no other knife I’ve ever had…I use it to process chickens. I have a huge set of Cutco in my kitchen and I really love them…but that one U.S.A. knife is the favorite.
those knives look fantastic! my favorite knife is an ancient one that my grandparents gave me out of their kitchen – doesn’t stay sharp for anything but i love it for sentimental reasons.
I just found your website. I haven’t done any canning yet, but I’m reading all of your Canning 101 articles to prepare!
I love big knives. My favorite is my big o’ chef’s knife, even though it’s from a set from Target. My husband and I were at Williams-Sonoma a couple of years ago and the saleswoman kept insisting that we take a set of Wüstof knives. “Those are your exchange!” she kept yelling at us (I think she was a bit unhinged) and wouldn’t check us out. Finally, the couple who actually did exchange something for the knives showed up with the manager. Every once in a while, we joke that we should have just said OK and taken the knives! 😉
I don’t have a favorite… at the moment I make do with what I have but I have big dreams of nice knives 🙂
I have yet to experience working with an exceptional knife. I bought a couple Henkels when I took a cooking class about 10 years ago. I have never heard of Cutco and they really seem fabulous from what everyone is saying here. Thanx for the review!!
It’s probably my second most used knife, but my most loved is my Kyocera ceramic vegetable chopper. Even with a few little nicks in the blade – I’ve had it for maybe 5 years – it’s still a complete delight to use (even if finding a knife block for it was a little tricky).
My favorite kitchen knife is my Wusthof paring knife. It seems I always have that little knife in my hand for some small task or another!
Cutco has some great knifes. I love the Japanese style knives, more so than traditional knives. Thanks for the Jam recipe. I’ll have to try it out. Our family Priest loves Rhubarb.
The Cutco Chef’s knife is my favorite, it makes slicing and dicing so easy I hate using anything else. I have really wanted to try the Santuko style, maybe I’ll get lucky.
KCB
My favorite kitchen knife…this is tough because I just haven’t had a kitchen or knives for very long and thus have not established a deep personal relationship with any of them. However, last summer I acquired a little blue handled serrated knife and I use it all the time…we might be forging the beginnings of a beautiful relationship 🙂
While it’s not a fancy, all-purpose specimen, my stepmom inherited a bone handled electric knife from her grandmother that is really quite stunning. And when it comes to Thanksgiving supper, or any large roast in need of carving, it’s just about perfect.
Cheers,
*Heather*
I love my Cuisinart santoku. It’s easy to sharpen and it feels good in my hand.
mine is actually one that I got at Ikea. It was supposed to be a stand-in knife when I moved since my stuff was a month behind me, but it ended up being really comfortable for me to use. I do have to sharpen it a lot, so it won’t be one I hand down to my kids or anything, but it did remind me that the blade is only important if you can stand to hold the knife in the first place!
Over the years my favorite tool has become an old 10-inch carbon-steel Sabatier chef’s knife that was a leftover from an ex-boyfriend. Yes, it needs more care than a stainless knife to keep from rusting, but man oh man, does that baby take a sharp edge!
My favorite knife is a big Crate and Barrel chef’s knife that my husband and I got for our wedding. Doesn’t need sharpening very often and we use it daily!
Would love to have these in our set though… 🙂
Not a chopping knife favourite, but I have a small knife with the air canada logo on it that I love: It’s small, cuts well, and reminds me of that era when airplanes still gave your decent cutlery to use (and food!)
My favorite knife is my parents old bread knife. So many fond memories!
I still use the Chicago Cutlery we bought when we were newlyweds, but my absolute favorite is a Pampered Chef knife. It’s just larger than a paring knife, the perfect size for dicing fruit for jam. Can you tell my rhubarb is growing like wild, too?
My favorite knife is my chef’s knife from Shun that I got about a year ago. I think it’ll become a family heirloom when I have kids.
My favorite knife was my mothers (she dies 40 years ago) the handle used to be black but is a dark grey now. The handle wobbles a bid but it has been sharped a thousand times and stil comes out on top. Maybe it’s time for a new one?????