This is a quick and easy way to preserve some rhubarb. The recipe doesn’t require strawberries, but you could replace some of the rhubarb with strawberries if you have some on hand.
You can either freeze it as a freezer jam, process it for 10 minutes in a water bath, or do it the old fashioned easy way like I did. I poured the boiling jam into hot sterilized jars straight from the dishwasher leaving 1/4 to 1/8 inch of headspace. Then I wiped the rims, popped on the tops (also hot and sterilized straight from the dishwasher on the hot setting), tightened the rings and turned them upside down on a towel. After that, all you have to do is leave them to cool overnight. Test the tops the next day – if they are properly sealed there will be no give in the lid (this method only safe to be used for high acid foods like fruit jams or jelly). If not properly sealed, put in fridge and use over the next couple of weeks or freeze for up to a year.
We tested some out over ice cream and decided that it’s a definite keeper.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- 6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
- 2-3 cups white sugar (to taste – I used 2 1/2 and would try it again with only 2)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 package strawberry flavored gelatin
In a large saucepan or stockpot, stir together the fresh rhubarb and sugar. Let stand for an hour or two to draw out some of the liquid and help break down the rhubarb.
Bring the rhubarb and sugar to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, until fruit is soft and completely cooked. I used a stick blender to smoothe it out a bit at this point, then stirred in the dry gelatin mix. Transfer to sterile jars, allow to cool and freeze (or process it as above).
Linking to Frugally Sustainable, A Pinch of Joy, Sorta Crunchy
lightlycrunchy 
Fantastic! My jars arrive on Tuesday and you have saved me from finding a jam recipe, answered my wishes 🙂
So you don’t do the whole boil in a huge pot for an hour after being in the oven (or dishwasher I see is an alternative)? Because if not HALLELUJAH! Canning seems quite the process.
I asked my friend’s nan yesterday what she does and for 70 years she has just popped clean jars in the oven and poured stuff in while still hot and that’s it. No poisonings.
There is so much differing info out there.
I think the recommendation is always for water bath processing, but the inversion thing has been around for a long time and is safe for high acid foods. As long as everything stays sterilized and and the contents are added while still at the boiling hot stage, everything should be ok. And the less space you leave at the top of the jar, the better (unless you decide to freeze some – then you’d need some space for expansion).
Oh jeez that’s good news! Thanks for that. Tomatoes are high acid too so I won’t have to muck around preserving those either.
Well timed post for me thank you! 🙂
I’m not sure about the tomatoes – you’d have to look it up. For some reason I think it might not work for them, but I could be wrong. But then, I’ve only ever frozen my tomatoes and sauces.
One of my favorite summer desserts was Grandma’s stewed rhubarb and strawberries. I got a taste for it last summer and set out to get the two ingredients – only to find that it was nearly impossible to find rhubarb. How lucky you are to be able to grow it!
We have rhubarb by the pounds every summer..so going to give this recipe a shot..have to buy some jars though and gelatin….Diane
Instead of buying jars, you can put it in small plastic containers or recycled jars and freeze it – it’ll keep nicely for a year in the freezer.
wouldn’t this taste good over ice cream?
It does – I took it for a taste drive.
Hello Heidi. Thank you for the jam recipe, quite timely as we are getting into the strawberry season here in Brisbane so I can replace some of the rhubarb with strawberries. Funnily enough one of the jobs I worked on this morning was going through my jam jars. Friends and family know that I am a keen ‘preserver’ and keep their jars for me. I have yet to decide how many are enough jam jars for one person to own?
I didn’t know you could can using such a simple method! You teach me new things all the time my friend! Definitely doing test batches soon!
Hey LC! Could I use that inversion method with marmalade? I’m going to try to make some this weekend. I’ve never made jam or jelly or marmalade, so it’s highly probable that my attempt will provide some laughs in near future 😉 I’m pretty much scared to death of canning anything. I have visions of drowning in broken glass. I realize that’s probably not normal.
I honestly don’t know about marmelade. But if you have a pot tall enough to make sure that each jar is covered with water with at least an inch over the top, just boil the filled jars for 10 minutes – there are lots of canning sites out there that’ll give good directions. That way you are nice and safe.
OK, I’ll do it! I have some books, I’ve done some research, and my gran is just a phone call way, so I should be able to pull through. Thanks!
I only freeze my sauces and tomatoes, too. This recipe looks similar to mine – only I freeze my jam, too. I have a really big freezer!
I have two chest freezers, but I’m trying to clean one out and use just the one – they’re both a little older and probably not terribly energy efficient any more. I mostly freeze my jam too, but tried this method out for a change.
This sounds like a great recipe, and easy, too!
I love canning jam, thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome. Hope you enjoy it.
I can attest to the tastiness of this recipe as my mother used to make it every summer. Don’t remember her turning the jars upside down though. She canned (and froze) huge amounts for our big family. All summer long we’d sleep to the accompaniment of canning lids snapping as they sealed on the kitchen counter. Aaahh – the sweet taste of summer memories (and then I remember there was no air conditioning!) Thanks so much for linking on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy!
[…] the past few months: Lightly Crunchy. She had just made this really cool basket and later I saw this jam. And it all just came together. We made a basket of wonderfullness for gran to snack on at […]
[…] made some strawberry rhubarb jam one weekend and some strawberry freezer jam plus some extra strawberries in syrup the next weekend. […]
I’m new at canning…what is “a package of strawberry gelatin” ? Is that something I find in the canning section?
its just a package of strawberry jello.
How many jars does this fill
I think it was 6 jars.
I forgot- do you leave them upside down all night?
the recipe never said when to add the lemon.