What’s on the Menu? Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
I was not a rhubarb enthusiast until a short time ago. I have found rhubarb, a fleshy red or green stalk vegetable, too tart even when it is cooked in sugary pies or various baked goods that I’ve tried. I also had no idea that spring is the season for this perennial plant. I have only seen rhubarb sold in the farmers market when I usually go in the summer, and I assumed it was a summer vegetable. Another interesting fact about rhubarb is that its leaves are nonedible and in fact toxic, as they contain an irritant called oxalic acid, which could cause kidney damage when consumed.
A friend recently harvested his first round of red stalk rhubarb from his garden this spring and gifted some to a few of us (Thank you, Michael!). Since I have heard so much about how strawberry and rhubarb pair well together, I decided to give this strawberry rhubarb jam recipe a try. There are many recipes posted online, but I went with the non-pectin recipe and the one with the most natural ingredients. I adopted the recipe from Self Proclaimed Foodie, which has only four ingredients and is very simple to follow. The recipe yields about four cups of jam, and it tastes so good that I want to just eat it by the spoonful by itself. And of course, the jam tastes delicious on toast, croissants, or scones. I can now proudly claim I’m a rhubarb fan!
Recipe:
https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/how-to-make-strawberry-rhubarb-jam/
Ingredients:
(I modified the ingredient ratio as seen in Self Proclaimed Foodie recipe; below is what I used)
5 Cup Rhubarb
3 Cup Strawberries
2 ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 ½ TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
Canning Process:
I follow the water bath canning process by Lowe’s Home Improvement’s How to Can Jam and Jelly via YouTube video.
