Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This is an extremely easy way to make a quick batch of strawberry rhubarb jam. I usually feel like I need to devote half a day when I make jam, but this recipe makes 2 small jars. My total time was literally 20 minutes.

I loved the addition of lemon slices, which mostly fell apart, as well as the vanilla bean. This really takes strawberry rhubarb jam to a whole new level. It’s a dessert-quality jam!

I admit that I was alarmed when I saw it called for up to 1 1/2 cups sugar. I started with 3/4 cup and then decided that it could use another 2 tablespoons. You could probably go up to 1 cup of sugar if you wanted. The jam was slightly tart, but that’s how I like it.

The jam thickened perfectly and wasn’t at all soupy, as is sometimes the case when I reduce the amount of sugar called for in a jam recipe. I used a 12-inch skillet in place of a saucepan so the liquid would evaporate rapidly. After I added the sugar, the jam only took 5 more minutes to thicken. When you drag a wooden spoon through the jam and it parts ways and leaves a clean streak on the bottom of the pan, you know it’s done. But I also did the freezer test to confirm. Place a small plate in your freezer when you begin to make the jam. When you think the jam is ready, drop a very small amount on the chilled plate, if it mounds up and doesn’t spread (very much) and you can draw your finger through it and leave a clean streak, the jam is ready.

You could probably process the jars if you wanted to, but it won’t be hard to go through this small amount of jam in a couple of weeks. You could always freeze one of the jars.

This recipe takes strawberry rhubarb jam to the next level! I’ve made strawberry rhubarb jam for years using the standard recipe that comes in the liquid pectin recipe insert and I have always been pleased with the results. This recipe takes things up a few notches. The addition of lemon rind and vanilla gives the preserves more texture and depth of flavor.

The jam took 20 minutes cooking to reach the proper consistency and then I stirred the jam for an additional 5 minutes once I took it off the stove to keep the fruit suspended before pouring it into the jars. I tested the set using two ways—checking the temperature was 220°F and putting a spoonful on a cold plate and seeing if it gels. The recipe yielded a full pint of delicious, fresh, vibrant jam.

Total time was 1/2 hour to preserve the taste of spring!

For me, the fruit stars in my reduced sugar version of this strawberry and rhubarb jam, and I’d heartily recommend it.

I made this recipe with 3/4 cup sugar. It simmered for 15 minutes and although not really thick it had thickened enough to be preserves. I feel preserves shouldn’t be really thickly jammy but slightly thickened, however, that’s just my opinion.

Bright and complex, this tart jam has an addictive vanilla aroma and takes minutes, not hours, to make. The batch size is perfect to serve at breakfast for the few weeks that berries and rhubarb overlap.. just right for when you know other berries will be headed your way in a few weeks.

I used equal weights of rhubarb and strawberries, 8 ounces each, 1/2 a small lemon, and 3/4 cup sugar for a balanced tart-sweet. The vanilla bean seemed skippable but adds a luxurious and unexpected touch; instead of discarding it, I buried it in the jam jar to spoon around until the preserves are gone.

Rhubarb + strawberries = summer. Even if your rhubarb is not bright red (varieties can be speckled or mostly green), the strawberries will make the result a pretty color with a sum greater than the parts.

For my first batch, I needed 2 good-size stalks of rhubarb to get the 1 1/4 cups sliced rhubarb, though my stalks were thickish. I did peel tougher strands away in stripes, and when the rhubarb cooked, it turned to jammy smoothness although the strawberries held a bit of shape. If you had very tender, narrow stalks, I would not remove more than the trimmed ends, no extra peeling required.

I used 3/4 cup sugar and found the result plenty sweet. To check the “set,” I looked for a single point where it dripped off the spoon and how it set up on a chilled plate. I error towards fresh flavor rather than a thick and sticky consistency.

Chilling overnight firmed the preserves and intensified the flavors.

These preserves go nicely spread on toast, dolloped into yogurt, or spooned over ice cream. I’ll even use a spoonful muddled into a long sparkling drink with club soda or gin and tonic.

For small batches such as this that will be eaten soon, I just store the jam in the refrigerator and skip the canning. I would normally divide the vanilla pod into pieces between the jars, a visual reminder of the flavoring, but I obediently removed it (and used it to infuse something else!).

The lemon is nice to include—it integrated well as the slices softened, adding flavor and texture and complementing the vanilla. Half-moon slices would be nice.

In my second batch, I substituted whole blackberries for the strawberries (227 grams each of the berries and the sliced rhubarb) and I reduced the sugar to 140 grams. The color was gorgeous (even though my rhubarb was mostly green) because the berries dyed the whole batch. That batch yielded almost a pint and a half, which set up thinner—more saucy than jammy—than the strawberry rhubarb jam.