Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Notes

This recipe is from an ATK site and is written as if it's a fridge jam (good for two months). In 2021, I canned this jam and it was just fine, using a sterile water bath canning technique. My go-to book is the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. And there are lots of online resources for learning about how to water bath can including well-produced videos. 

This jam does not use pectin, so it's a little looser (see p. 20 of the book I reference). It is cooked longer, so has a slight caramel flavor, which complements the strawberry and rhubarb quite well.

6/2022: I made a quadruple batch (don't do that again). The larger pot made it harder to take out the lemon zest and it was overwhelming at times. The 4x batch made four larger jars, five smaller jars, and a half larger jar. Cut the strawberries in small pieces to make the mashing go quicker and easier. I *still* could not get it up to 217 to 220 degrees, only just above 210. But it formed a jam with the plate test.

Ingredients 

8 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small pieces (1⅔ cups) 

1 pound rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces (4 cups) 

1¾ cups sugar ½ cup peeled and shredded Granny Smith apple (½ apple) 

2 (2-inch) strips lemon zest 

1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice 

Instructions

1. Place 2 small plates in freezer to chill. 

2. In a bowl, crush strawberries with potato masher until fruit is mostly broken down. 

3. Put strawberries in a pot, stir in rhubarb, sugar, apple, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to boil, stirring often, over medium-high heat. When boiling, crush rhubarb gently with potato masher to help it break down, leaving some pieces intact. 

4. Once sugar is completely dissolved, boil mixture, stirring and adjusting heat as needed, until thickened and registers 217 to 220 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. Remove pot from heat. To test consistency, place 1 teaspoon jam on chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through jam on plate; jam has correct consistency when your finger leaves distinct trail. If jam is runny, return pot to heat, simmer for 1 to 3 minutes longer before retesting. 

6. Remove lemon zest and skim any foam from surface of jam using spoon. 

7. Can the jam. Enjoy!