Rhubarb has been in abundance at our local farmer’s market these last few weeks. We purchased a plant last year and are waiting to harvest the rhubarb, most likely next year, so I decided to buy some from our favorite farmers. When growing up, we had a small rhubarb patch in the backyard, and I recall eating it raw for the most part. It was sour and extremely tart, and as a kid that was right up my alley. However later as I began to experiment with rhubarb, I knew that cooking this vegetable down with sugar was the route to take. So with this recent batch, I decided to make a simple rhubarb jam, and I am glad that I did. We’ve been using this jam on toast for breakfast, as well as drizzles over cheese and crackers. It has that perfect balance of sweet with subtle tartness that has you wanting more.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 1 large Ball’s canning jars, boiled in water for 5 minutes
- 4 large ribs of rhubarb, cleaned, and diced
- 3 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 1 lemon, zest only
- pinch of salt
Start by adding the rhubarb, sugar, water, and lemon zest to a large stock pot. Let that mixture rest in the pot, off of the heat, for about an hour to let things meld. Heat the pot over medium heat, and stir, cooking for about 20 minutes, letting it come to a small boil. Continue to stir.
Continue to cook until your jam begins to thicken. Make sure you stir the rhubarb frequently to prevent the sugars from burning on the bottom.
Once thickened, I use a stick blender and blend this all together to pulse and blend the softened chunks of rhubarb. This also thickens the jam into a perfect consistency.
Once blended, carefully pour into the sterilized jars, let cool, then seal and place into the refrigerator to chill. Once this has fully chilled, do as you please. We’ve been using the rhubarb jam on toast, peanut butter sandwiches, and drizzled over soft cheese. It’s good. REALLY, REALLY GOOD.