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.
Don’t have a favorite knife yet…maybe these are it? 😉
My Henckel 6 inch chef knife is my go-to. Even when it’s not quite the right knife for the job…I make it work because it’s so much fun to use it!
My favorite knife – my Cutco paring knife – really good quality, and it makes me giggle every time I remember when our parents gave my sister and I these Cutco knives one Christmas, and I was the sister who did NOT immediately cut her finger on the new very sharp knife.
My favorite knife is my Cutco chef’s knife. It is my go to knife for pretty much everything (it is sitting on my cutting board even as I type.) Good knives make all the difference.
My favorite knife is a Global one that we have at our (shared) house in Copenhagen. Global knives are one solid piece of metal, which makes them sturdy. One of the many things I’ll miss when I move this summer 🙂
Yay for Cutco! And this recipe sounds delicious. I printed it out to add to my stack of to-be made recipes!
I like a good fishing knife.
This bright green, Kuhn Rikon serated paring knife. It’s ridiculously sharp and comes with a matching plastic, sheath, so I always have an Excalibur moment when I use it. It was given to me by my Grandma Ruth, who bought it because of its “lovely color.” I also love my dad’s old swiss army knife. Each fall I inaugurate the season by slicing cheddar cheese, an apple and a hunk of bread with its trusty blade.
My favorite knife is my pampered chef knife that I have had for many years.
I use a 6″ Cuisinart santoku I got on the cheap, I have a Henckels chef knife but it’s scary huge!
Love the recipe. I have a bunch of strawberries that are looking for a job….now to find some good rhubarb.
My favorite knife is a treasured serrated utility knife made by Wusthof. I use it for just about everything. I have even used it to open bales of hay (I know…gasp)in a fit of frustration. This thing puts up with obscene amounts of abuse.
My favorite kitchen knife is a Chicago Cutlery choy doh. It is well-balanced and very easy to use. It is probably the most used knife in my kitchen.
I love my 5″ Victorinox chef’s knife…it’s just the right size for most jobs and fits great in my hand.
our family friend’s amazing knife they got years ago as a wedding present. never needs sharpening, awesome triangular shape, never been able to find another like it.. i make a point of using it whenever we visit.
awesome watermelon knife with a handle at both ends..
After growing up with my mother’s errant idea that the duller the knife is, the safer it should be, I finally purchased a set of knives in preparation for culinary school. They changed my life. It’s unbelievable how smooth, how clean and yes, how SAFE these knives are. The next time I visit my mother, I think I’m going to try and get rid of those dangerously dull specimens of hers. Maybe she won’t even notice…
I use my santuko and my paring knife exclusively. We have a whole block of others, and maybe I use the bread knife once a month or the tomato knife in the summer, but everyday I wash the santuko and paring knife at least three times.
currently I’m fond of my henkel knives but would love the opportunity to try these. By the way, I followed your recipe for garlic dill pickles this year and love them.
one of my favorite knives happens to be a meat cleaver i bought in hong kong. no special brand , but when i need to do lots of chopping its the best
I have a Cutco bread/ham knife that I love (I make a lot of homemade bread). I bought it from my daughter when she sold them one week-end. lol BTW, I love strawberry-rhubarb jam, it is a family favorite now.
Recently, I’ve been picking up my 5 1/2″ Kyocera ceramic santoku more often than most of our other knives. Nice size, nice edge.
I love my bread knife so much that I often reach for it, pause, and put it back because I need a chef’s knife or kitchen shears. My hand just goes for it!
My favorite knife is a paring knife I inherited from my grandma’s kitchen. My grandpa sharpened it so many times that the blade is noticably thinner than it must have been when new. It’s very small and the blade is somewhat flexible. Best knife ever for things like peeling or coring!
I don’t have a favorite knife mine are all terrible. I really need to invest in some good ones.
My favorite knife is the cutco vegetable ! I love all their knifes I even think they are better then Henkels
looking forward to collecting all the cutco knifes!!
I love my cutco cheese knife. It has cool openings on the side so that it cuts through a delicious hunk of cheddar or jarlsberg in a snap. I love cheese so much its almost scary so this knife sees quite a bit of use.
I wish I had a favorite knife. All my knives are bought at Walgreens or CVS and they are NOT good. IT really is time to invest in new ones!
My favorite? It’s a toss up between my Tupperware Chef Series Utility knife or Chef’s knife. They are the 2 I use the most.
I don’t know the maker, it originally belonged to my mom and I “borrowed” it a long time ago and it never found it’s way back home. I plan on having it forever, but I would love to have these knives as they sound fabulous and there is nothing better than a sharp knife.
I love knives made by Lamson and Goodnow. Not only to they make knives that are as beautiful to look at as they are comfortable and sharp to use, but they’re also made nearby, in Shelburne Falls Mass.
My favorite kitchen knife is a good, sharp, all-purpose knife (I can’t think of the brand at the moment). My boyfriend’s parents bought two knives for us as a housewarming gift and the woman at the store said “you’re very lucky” to us. It was a really awkward moment because we are responsible young adults and she seemed to be judging us as ruthless teens! Oh well, the knives are still great, and they are probably the nicest things we own!
I also plan to make this jam with the last of the season’s rhubarb and the glut of strawberries we’re getting now. Strawberry rhubarb is my family’s favorite!
Thanks for always having great giveaways!
I just found your blog and I love it. I have enjoyed canning since I was a kid. I don’t have a really good knife so I’d put these to good use if I won.
We have a tiny, generic, super-sharp paring knife in our house that just won’t quit. His name is Scrappy, and he has a belligerent Irish accent, because he’s always trying to prove he’s as good as th’ rest of th’ knives in th’ drawer. (What, you don’t anthropomorphize your kitchen utensils, too?)
Great site — and great jam recipe, super similar to my great-grandma’s best one. My favorite knife is a Cutco paring knife; it’s always sharp, and just the right size for hulling strawberries or slicing up something for a snack. 🙂
I love my 12-inch chef’s knife I got in my culinary school knife kit .. but santoku knives are my favorite!
My favorite knives are the Wulff ones we got as a wedding gift19 years ago—still doing great 19 years later! Now, I need to go make strawberry-rhubarb jam!
I have to think that almost any knife is better than my set! Cuisenart does not make sharp knives.
My all-time favorite knife is my Warther knife (www.warthercutlery.com) that I purchased after making a Sunday afternoon trip out to the Warther museum in Dover, OH (about an hour drive from my childhood home). Moony Warther was an incredibly talented artist around the turn of the previous century who created incredibly intricate wood-and-ivory carvings, including beautiful model trains (the museum is definitely worth a visit!). He designed the Warther knife because, apparently, he couldn’t find a knife that would stay sharp enough while carving dense materials. Today, the Warther knife company creates incredibly sharp, beautiful knives, all hand-made in Dover, OH. Not only is my Warther knife a pleasure to cut with (it slices through lemons like a hot knife cutting through butter), but using it always reminds me of those gorgeous model trains I saw in Dover!
My favorite knife is an ikea knife! How pathetic is that??! It is totally worthless but I bought a knife sharpener and I take real good care of it and somehow, in spite of the odds, it has remained pretty sharp through the years. I keep meaning to get a really good and fancy new knife but somehow when you have one that works (sometimes with a little sawing. I know, I’m pathetic) it’s hard to justify an $80 expense!
I have a little butter knife – which I bought from a charity shop – more years than I care to remember. I love to use it in the summer when I spread real butter on a thick ‘doorstep’ slice of home made bread – and strawberry jam.
I have not tried using rhubarb with strawberries so I really must try out your recipe
I am the lucky recipient of two hand-me-over Gerber chef knives. They came at the perfect time and have served me so well. And as much as I enjoy them I would be remiss if I didn’t say I loved my local knife sharpener more. He’s quick, he’s cute, and he take pride in his craft. Hooray.
I don’t actually have a favorite brand, but when I need a good knife, I always grab one of my two Santoku knives. Those suckers will slice through anything and never seem to go dull. Such clean, easy cuts. Makes my prep time go so much faster when I have a lot of things to chop.
I have a cutco bread slicer that was a wedding gift and is my favorite because it’s so sharp. It’s serated and long, though, so not the appropriate knife for many jobs. The gaps I have are in the chef’s/paring sizes…so new knives would be great!
My favorite knife is my 10 inch chef’s knife that I purchased when I started culinary school back in 1994. We have a long history together and it’s been my go to workhorse in the kitchen for most jobs. I would love to have some knew knives.
I don’t have a specific favorite knife, since my set is just a sturdy all-purpose set I got out of college. Over the years I’ve adjusted to learning when to use which size knife – but would love to see these added to my kitchen!
I got a set of Shun knives as a wedding gift. They’re the best! And they’re beautifully designed.
I use a filleting knife from my fishing tools for so many things…But a great knife is really hard to find!
I love my $25 Victorinox chef’s knife – it can stand up alongside knives 6 times as expensive, and it’s the only quality knife in my kitchen shared with four other roommates (I keep it hidden in its sleeve in the back of a cupboard). I’d love to add a couple more beauties to my hidden collection!
Big fan of my cutco knives, especially my chefs knife. Great blade and they sharpen it for free!
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!
I have a set of cutco steak knives….lovely. Thanks for having a give away!
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 🙂
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 have a knife from Rada that I love. But I am open to try these knives. I think I should win one.
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 use a J.A. Henckels chef knife pretty regularly. I’d like to have some that are a little higher quality though.
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 🙂
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’m not sure where my knives are from (they actually belong to my roommate) but they are nice and sharp, which is fantastic.
if it’s a sharp, small paring knife, i love it.
Wolfgang Puck full tang, triple riveted handle Santuko knife. 🙂
My favorite is a cheese knife my mother gave me for Christmas several years ago. It’s just like hers.
My favorite knife is the Shun 6″ utility knife.
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.
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!
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 . . .
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!
My favorite knife continues to be my Wusthoff Trident tomato slicer — so versatile, from slicing bread to managing very juicy tomatoes.
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.
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!
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.
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!
My favorite knife is a small Henkle pairing knife I’ve had forever. I really need to get it sharpened.
My favorite knife is actually a Cutco knife! I bought it a very long time ago and it’s never needed sharpening.
I am using my grandmother’s knives.
They are a treasure but I am looking for better knives as my kitchen skills improve.
I would love to try these knives. I do not own good knives, but I have heard about cutco.
Wusthof Classic 5-inch Serrated Sausage knife
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!
I love Cutco knives! They’ve been my favorite since I sold them back in college!
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!
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!
Don’t really have a favorite knife. Never have used Cutco so maybe that’s why. 😉
I don’t currently have a favorite knife…but I’d love to get a new set that would be come my favorite knives. 😉
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.
Cutco knives are the BEST!
I don’t have a favorite knife, and I’d love to win this giveaway so I can find a fav!
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).
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!!
Have never used Cutco, but would sure like to give them a try. Thanks for the giveaway!!
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!!!
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.
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.
I have a little paring knife with a bright colored handle that I love 🙂
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 don’t have a real set of knives. The 12yo set from walmart doesn’t count lol.
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.
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.
I don’t cook much but my wife would be over the moon if I won these for her!
I love my Rada knives. I got some as a wedding gift some 15 years ago.