Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

June 17, 2011(updated on April 24, 2022)

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.

strawberries

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.

360 | 365

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.

my copper preserving pan

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!

5 from 5 votes

Small Batch Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Servings: 4 half pints

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.

Sharing is caring!

5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment & rate this recipe

If you enjoy this recipe, please do give it a star rating when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes. Thank you!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




563 thoughts on "Strawberry Rhubarb Jam"

  • I don’t have a favorite knife, when I moved my favorite one (a lovely bread knife that also doubled as a fruit slicer) went MIA. I’ve been missing it ever since :).

  • Hubby bought for me a Laguiole knife- love it since it cuts everything like butter! Sadly, it’s got legs & walks (he uses it for general home & house construction), so I can never find it when I need it!

  • I bought an entire set of Cutco Knives, etc. right after I got married. My first “big” purchase w/o my Husband’s permission:) They were sold door to door then. The only remaining piece I have is the long handled fork which I use to this day for frying bacon. My Son refers to it as my “70’s” fork:) He owns an entire set of Shun knives but those are too rich for my blood!!

  • My favorite knife is a wood-handled knife passed on to me by my grandmother. It’s nothing fancy, but the metal seems to be of extremely high quality. She’s had it since my mother was small, it’s rarely ever been sharpened, and it will cut through just about anything as well as the day it was made. My husband borrowed it out of my knife drawer to do some man work once, though, so it took some damage. I had a few words for him when I found out! LOL.

    I was gifted a Cutco paring knife one year for Christmas, and I’d have to say that’s definitely my second-favorite knife. I know several people with complete sets and they are really just a dream to work with.

  • I have one paring knife (don’t know the brand). It belonged to my mother-in-law. She loved it. I love it.

  • I have only one knife, a Henkel that gets a ton of use in my kitchen. While I do love it I didn’t know all the rules of knife care when I first got it so it does need some sharpening soon.

  • My favorite knife is either my Chicago cutlery Chef’s knife or the serrated bread knife. Neither stays sharp long and I’d love these!

  • I won a set of knives in the ’80’s playing bingo at a company picnic. I have no idea of the brand, but they continue to be my ‘go to’ knives, especially the serrated bread knife and the meat slicer. They really do what they are supposed to do.

  • my favorite has to be Miracle Blade. My step dad got me those for when I move out (I was 12 at the time) off a 2am paid programming slot. They are fairly decent. In 6 years, I’ve only had to sharpen 1 knife once! And that’s cause my cousin starting scraping it on a bamboo board for “fun”.

  • I have one small Cutco knife – which I love! It’d be awesome to have those larger ones, too, for different cutting tasks.

  • I love my knives. I have almost all Wuesthoff for my good knives. I have earned them over the years, gradually replacing my old wood handled Chicago cutlery knives (30+ years old). I have a drawer for them. My most recent addition was the 10″ serrated bread knife…it is a dream. My favorite is the bird beak paring knife…works so good on massive piles of potatoes and apples. We live in a town with no cooking stores, so over the years when on vacation I seek them out and where some may come back with a souvenir, I return with a knife or shish kabob set (LL BEAN in Maine) or popover pan (Acadia National Park) or wok paddle (Chinatown in Vancouver) or cast iron dutch oven (I think that was some place in Utah, St David’s?) or a teapot for camping (REI in Seattle) and on and on.

  • My favorite knife is one that was demo’d to me at Walmart 13 years ago. You know the kind of demo that saws a soda can in half, cuts into a brick and then beautifully slices a tomato? Well I ended up with 3 of those knives for $10 that way.I kept one, gave one to my mom, and the other to a friend. All three of us are still using our knives to this day. I have a knifeblock full of knives but almost always reach for this one first. Those cutco knives look wonderful though. I sure could use a knife that will mince garlic better than my wonder knife. The serrations on it are too deep and the blade too narrow and straight to do the rocking motion to mince garlic and herbs.

  • I still love my Wusthof knives! My favorite is the serrated bread knife… I can use it for so many things! 🙂

    Thanks for the giveaway!

  • My favorite knife in the kitchen is not pretty or really all that sharp. But it reminds me of my dad, because it’s the kind he always uses in his kitchen. Even though I use it rarely, it’s comforting to see in the drawer, and makes me feel at home, even though I now live on the opposite coast as my dad and his kitchen.

  • Only one? Please?!?!? Well my favorite folding is the Whirlwind, swing assist, non-serrated. It’ll take a wicked sharp edge, it’s almost too big for a pocket, it’s comfortable to hold… For a sheith knife, it’s a cheep Winchester (like 12 on Amazon) with a rose wood handle. It also takes a nice sharp edge, and is great for processing everything from fish, to veggies, to poultry (well except for parting them up, it’s a bit small for that) in the field. For further dicing, it’s a bit small, but I think I could hold it all day and hardly notice it…

  • My favorite knife is the wooden handled one my dad gave me when I moved away for college. It’s got to be older than me!

  • What a great giveaway! We use Global knives, which are my favorite, although I know they aren’t necessarily the best. I’m a field biologist in Alaska who lives in my tent on a wildlife refuge most of the year so when I come home to a kitchen I am ecstatic to use any knife for cutting that isn’t a swiss army pocket knife!

  • My absolute favorite is an 8″ Henckels chef’s knife. It’s big and sturdy and comfortable, and I use it for almost everything. It was a wedding present to myself 11 years ago, and worth every cent.

  • My favorite knife is my Pampered Chef forged steel Santoku. I love it. But I have Cutco steak knives that are wonderful.

    I have to admit that if were to win this giveaway, I’d give them to either my mother or my SIL since they really don’t have good knives and I would like to stop having to travel with mine in order to cook in their kitchens.

  • My favorite knives are ones I bought in 2005 for like $3 each at target. They’re getting dull, and Target doesn’t carry them anymore. 🙁

    I’d love to get some new knives, but the set I want is more than I want to spend! lol Thanks for the chance to win!

  • I use a couple of Rada paring knives that I really like. Also a Chicago chef’s knife that I inherited from my dad.

  • I don’t have one. I’ve always had craptasticly cheap knives. I dated a chef once and he ruined me for cheap knives but I could never afford the good stuff.

  • I don’t know that i have found my perfect knife yet. but i do recall the days when i learned to use a proper chef’s knife. i could never understand how i managed to cut a large amount of anything before i got that knife!

  • I have to say my favorite knife is from my parents. They had actually recieved my knives as a set for a wedding present and never used them until I needed a set for my new apartment.
    I am so in love with the knives that I use them daily along with the sharpener, they have no idea what they missed out on.

  • I love my 10-inch Forschner Chef’s Knife. It was part of our tool kit when I started culinary school and I’ve been in love ever since. It’s cheap, the handle is plastic, and the blade is stamped, but the result is marvelous. It is definitely the work horse of my kitchen.

  • I don’t know brand names for knives, but my favorite knives are the ones that can be sharpened, and the handles don’t loosen or come apart. I bet leaving my knives in the wash water too long might be the reason for some handles coming apart, so plastic handles might become my fav knives, as long as they can be sharpened ^_^

  • My favorite is a Wustof paring knife that is actually still sharp (my other knives are not). Had my first canning project of the season yesterday (strawberry jam).

  • For most chopping I like my 8 inch chef’s knife, but my go to utility knife (blush) is a serrated steak knife that I think dates back to a set my parents got with gasoline purchases (back when gas stations gave away glassware, green stamps and only charged 39 cents a gallon for premium!)

  • I don’t have a favorite knife. I hope to get one of those 6 inch knives, though, one of these days!

  • does anyone remember the old Case knives? they were not stainless and always discolored and rusted but they kept a good edge. I use a cutco knife everyday and I’m a chef. mary in Cincinnati

  • I seem to reach for my 7″ Victorinox with a plastic handle time and again. It just fits comfortably in my hand and the length is perfect. Funny, I remember a chef telling me to start with a longer chef knife to get comfortable with it prior to using a shorter knife. He said if I start shorter, I’d never end up using the longer knife. He was right!

  • An ancient Sabatier knife that my dad bought in 1970s still cuts like it did when he first bought it.

  • My favorite knife is my grandmother’s. Sometimes I think I just make up excuses to cook at her house so I can use it. It is always razor sharp (she says she sharpens it on the bottom of a ceramic cup!) and my grandfather brought it to her from Japan.

  • I have a little paring knife — no brand name that I can see. I bought in the first year I was married – 1978 – and still prefer it over ‘fancier’ ones bought over the years.

  • I have a single Cutco knife that is pink! I absolutely adore it and when my budget allows I would love to own an entire set of these!

  • My favorite knife is a Cutco small chef’s knife. In high school I sold cutco for a few weeks – long enough to pay off the sample set you have to buy to start. At the time, the prices of the knives seemed like a rip-off to me, so I gave away most of the pieces of the set to family and friends who had bought knives from me. I kept this one, and now its lasted me 15 years, and I’d love to have another cutco to keep it company. Thanks for the chance to win!

  • My 25 lbs of strawberries are waiting for me to prep them with my super crummy knife. Please let me win!

  • My favorite knife used to be a MAC knife – Japanese. We now keep all our nice kitchen knives very sharp and they are always a pleasure to use,no matter the brand.

    What is much more fascinating is my 84 year old father’s favorite knife. He had a serrated bread knife with a wooden handle in the 1970’s. When the handle fell apart, he continued to use the knife without any handle. It doesn’t matter what knife is available, he still uses that handle free knife for everything.

  • My favorite knife is one that has been through the dishwasher so many times the rubber handle cover is splitting! I am still looking for the perfect bread knife though!

  • I love my mom’s old butcher’s knife. She used it for everything and then passed it to me. Amazing what that thing could do.

  • Honrstly, I don’t really have a good set of knives and I’m looking to make chopping veggies more fun!

  • We definitely could use a new set – the kids seem to think that they are good at cutting wood, crayons, rocks… um, yeah.

    I do have a favorite butcher knife we picked up at Ikea 10 years ago or so. No matter what the we or the kids have used it for, it still holds up. Thanks for the opportunity !

  • My favorite (or at least most used) knife is a little serrated knife that I use for just about everything. Thanks for the chance to win!

  • I htee to say it, but I own only cheap knives so have no favorites. I woudl love some good quality knives! Thanks for the chance to win.

  • I honestly do not have a favorite because I do not know enough about knives! I guess I should go ahead and learn since I love to cook so much 🙂

  • My favorite chef’s knife that I love to work with is a Wustof, but it’s not my overall favorite knife. My grandmother, my greatest canning influence, gave me an old paring knife far older than I am.

  • Favorite knife? Well, the one I use the most is my Henckels 8″ chef’s knife and I do love it, it fits my hand perfectly. But the one that I actually like the most is my Cutco bread knife. I bought it from the daughter of a friend who couldn’t find a job the summer after her freshman year in college (hmm, familiar story, my son is in the same boat this year). Thought the knife was way way way too expensive when she rang it up and almost didn’t get it. But I’m glad I did. I use it constantly and mostly not for bread. My favorite use is for carving chicken. I roast a chicken at least once a month and it’s so much better than any other knife in my arsenal for that task.

  • I absolutely would be nowhere without my little japanese paring knife. I use it every single day and will love it for years to come.

  • My favorite knife is actually a fiddle-blade saw meant for cutting homemade bread in precise pieces without, well, destroying the loaf. It was a great Christmas present!

  • I always reach for my basic medium-sized henkel.. not sure it’s specific use, but I use it for most things! I would love to try these!

  • I’d have to say my paring knife is my most used. I don’t really have a favorite because my knife skills aren’t so hot.

  • I have recently been introduced to Cutco and have fallen in love with them. I currently only have a couple cutco knives due to my living conditions (have roommates and I don’t want to buy a full set, only for them to abuse them etc). I hid the 4 that I have in my room, immediately wash them after use and store them away. They’re probably the most valuable items I have haha. I love the santoku style knives but haven’t gotten around to buying them yet so id be pleased to win them :]
    Best of luck to all!!

  • New to this blog, but I remember it by name when I check blogs every few days.

    As soon as I saw the title of the post, my heart lept at the thought of rhubarb! I’ve just been moved to NC because of my husband’s job and they can’t grow it around here! Growing up in central PA, it was always around and now that I’ve started canning for my family, I really miss it…

    Anyway, I must say my favorite knife that I’ve used was a hot pink santoku knife that belonged to a friend’s wife. That knife did it all, including pineapple (which impressed me, at the time).

    I have no idea what brand it was, but that’s the only one I remember enjoying. Waiting for my Wustof knives that I was promised in 10 years….But until then, I use Walmart. 🙁

  • I love my paring knife – Wustof…….a purchase I made as a single career woman wanting to cook just for fun……still use it as a stay at home mom/wife. Love it.

  • Ooooooo. I have a ceramic knife that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for cutting up fruits and veggies for preserving 🙂

  • My favorite knife is one of a three-piece set that we got when I was little, molded with an endearing little design that I don’t remember now, because I haven’t seen it in years. I still hope it will be found.

  • I received a Wustof chefs knife for Christmas a few years back and I’ve used that knife more than any other in my kitchen since I got it! Never have tried a Cutco knife before.

  • oh, it’s terrible – my favorite knife is a black handle (with a white spot) that says “Carbonite” on the blade. A chef friend gave me two – a paring knife and a butcher knife. I never thought knives made a difference until her. thanks!

  • I have such trouble finding good knives that last and stay sharp (or sharpen well) so I can’t really tell you my favorite knife! But hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to use some knives like these and find a favorite 🙂

  • Mine is an unknown brand that seems to be somewhere between a chef’s knife and a ? I use it for everything and it keeps a nice, sharp edge. And thanks for a jam recipe that doesn’t make 20 pints! I may have to rustle some up this weekend while the rhubarb is still around.

  • My favorite knife is any sharp well worn paring knife. I fondly remember my grandmother when using tiny knives to peel fruit and veg. We spent many hot Texas summer afternoons peeling peaches from her trees to make preserves. If I close my eyes tight I can still hear the cicadas and taste the peaches.

  • My favorite knife is a sturdy kitchen knife that I bought in a “going out of business” sale for just under 5 dollars-it’s about time to resharpen it, though..

  • Sharp rules…. I have a pull thorough Henckel knife sharpener and just love it for how quickly it sharpens even my not so great knifes. But my fav is both of my Santoku style; don’t know how I lived before they entered my kitchen!

  • My favorite knife is a Japanese vegetable knife that my friend and former roommate’s mom bought her at a Japanese grocery store in the East Village. She was such a mensch that she left it with us when she moved out and her mom bought her a new one. I think it’s called a nakiri.

  • I have a set of Henckels that are about 25 years old. A few months ago, 2 of the handles cracked. I bought an inexpensive Victorinox chef’s knife based and a review in Cooks Illustrated. I’m loving this knife! I am so jealous that you were able to make strawberry rhubarb jam. I searched high and low for rhubarb last week before I made my jam, but could not find any. Maybe this week the farmer’s market will have some and I’ll have to make a small batch. You never can have too much strawberry jam!

  • Cutco knives are wonderful! My mother-in-law used them and loved them. When I got married over 20 years ago, she gave us a set for our wedding. They were the best gift.

  • I have a 6-inch chef’s knife that I use for pretty much everything, but which is getting a little old…

  • I have a set of Cutco and love them – I got them for our wedding and they’re great. I didn’t even know they had Santuko knives – that would be a great addition to my set!

  • My favorite paring knife came to me from my Grandma. It is made by Chicago Cutlery and has a wood handle. When she was no longer able to drive, she and my Mom drove her Jeep out here so that the kids could have it. Along they way they bought some apples and Grnadma needed to apple to be sliced in order to eat it. This is the knife they chose and then left behind when it was time to fly home. A number of years ago the tip was broken off in an unfortunate oyster accident, but it is still my favorite and I still use it everyday.

  • i just discovered your website as i’m interested in dipping my toes into canning/preserving (though without actual toes). my favorite knife? my knives are pretty blah and i don’t really have a favorite. probably my chicago cutlery chef’s knife.

  • My mom used to have this amazing Cutco spreader spatula knife. It was amazingly multi-functional (cookies, brownies, cake, etc…) and she finally gifted me one of my own a few years ago… absolutely love it!

  • I have a whole set of Henckels I got when we were married, I still love the chef’s knife. I use it (inappropriately) for just about everything.

  • i think its a tie between my paring knife and my citrus knife. cutting lemons has never been so easy and precise without it. plus they were both given to me by my mother so that makes them special to me. they aren’t fancy but i love them and they do one hell of a job.

  • I bought a few knives from IKEA over a year ago to tide me over until I got around to getting a good set of knives. Those have worked well enough that I still haven’t gotten around to it!

  • Sadly, I have a mismash of deporable knives in various degrees of sharpness. 🙁 Adding a beautiful new Cutco knife would be WONDERFUL. Ahhhh.

  • For years, I have used a very small paring knife for many tasks in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing this opportunity. I would love to win the Cutco knives.
    Please note: Even though I have shared the link for my website here, it is not quite finished. It should be finished in about a week. It is far enough a long to be bookmarked though.
    The strawberry rhubarb jam sounds wonderful 🙂

    Thanks again for the giveaway.
    Karen Stoneking
    KarensKozyKithcen.com

  • Victorinox 8″ chef’s knife — best bang for the buck.

    I don’t have a Santoku, knife, and I’d love to win one. I like Cutco knives, too.

  • I actually have two favorite knives- one I rarely use, but when I need it it comes in handy. It’s a large, old butcher knife that belonged to my great grandfather (who was a butcher). My other favorite knife is a Henckels Santoku that my grandma gave me several year ago- I do use that one all the time.

  • I carry an old Case pocketknife my grandfather carried while he was alive. Something to remember him by each time I open that old blade.

  • My favorite is a little Wusthof paring knife. I picked it up years ago at the Vermont Country Store. Thanks!

  • My favorite knife is a carving knife made from a piece of industrial band saw blade by a friend of my grandfather. Yes, it rusts therefore must be washed and dried immediately. But it holds an edge that allows me to shave a turkey breast.

  • Man, I could really use some new knives. My favorite is a Michael Graves chef knife that was $10 at Target about 10 years ago. The only thing is the handle is heavy and rounded and if you bump it wrong on the counter it kind of flies up in the air… not good. I have a huge scar on my thumb from it. That and the tip broke off at some point when my husband used it to stab something.

  • My favorite knife would be the one I’m using. I don’t have a lot. Like the ones I have…..all different brands and old as the hills.

  • My parents favorite knife is one that I brought back from Japan when I was there as an exchange student. It is a Japanese Ceramic knife that is crazy sharp. They have never sharpened it in 13 years and it is still a great knife.

  • My favorite is an okay chef’s knife that seems to pull more than its weight in our kitchen, because the rest of our knives are disgustingly dull. Haven’t lost any fingers yet, though! 🙂

  • I tried out some Cutco knives at the county fair two years ago and fell in love! I’ve been trying to get my husband to get me one ever since.

  • My favorite knife in the kitchen is made by Rada Cutlery (R131 I believe). I like supporting companies that manufacture their goods in the U.S. but they are often difficult to find and more expensive. I love the quality and craftsmanship of both Cutco and Rada.

  • I’ve never tried Cutco knives but would love to give them a go ….I’m ashamed to say my knives have always come from the grocery store…I would love to have a favorite knife!!

  • I just finished cooking up 2kg of cherry jam and saw your website. I want to put up some strawberry and rhubarb jam this week. It’s everywhere here in Germany at the moment. Today at the local farmer’s market I drank a refreshing rhubarb schörle (rhubarb juice, strawberry syrup and sparkling water) and I had a rhubarb strawberry plunder (treasure pastry) made with spelt. Delicious!! Although I love the fresh produce here, I’m so looking forward to coming home to S.Jersey in 10 days to visit my parents. I hope to blueberry pick at Mood’s and attack my parent’s raspberry and blackberry bushes to make more jam. I’m responding to your blog because I have fond memories of selling Cutco and financing my first 2 years of university. I love good knives and even though I am in the land of Henkels, I will not part with my Cutco knives or my scissors!!

  • My favorite knife is the Chicago Cutlery chef knife I got as a wedding present 11 years ago… the only reason I have to think about replacing it is the wooden handle!