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.
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!
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!!
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!!
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 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 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! 🙂
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 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.
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 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.
I have a Henkel knife that I use for everything. I wish I had more.
My favorite is a little Wusthof paring knife. I picked it up years ago at the Vermont Country Store. Thanks!
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.
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.
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.
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
Sadly, I have a mismash of deporable knives in various degrees of sharpness. 🙁 Adding a beautiful new Cutco knife would be WONDERFUL. Ahhhh.
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!
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 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.
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 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 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 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!
I have a 6-inch chef’s knife that I use for pretty much everything, but which is getting a little old…
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 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!
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.
Any knife that lets me cut well! I hope to have a fairly decent set of knives one day.
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 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..
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.
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.
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 🙂
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 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.
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.
Oh, my FAVORITE knife is my Cutco bread knife! It was a gift from my parents 🙂
My favorite is a Chicago Cutlery knife that I’ve had for at least 20 years.
Ooooooo. I have a ceramic knife that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for cutting up fruits and veggies for preserving 🙂
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.
I have the ceramic knife that you see on the tv commercials. It’s actually not a bad knife.
i use a paring knife most often because I usually peal my fruit and/or cut them into small pieces….
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 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!!
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 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!
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 absolutely would be nowhere without my little japanese paring knife. I use it every single day and will love it for years to come.
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.