Homemade Rhubarb Jam

A few days ago Adam, Olivia and their kids came to dinner. While we were hanging out inside, the kids were playing amongst themselves in our garden. After a while, the kids ran in and exclaimed that they found rhubarb in the back. I had no idea, but apparently we've got several enormous rhubarb plants.

Rhubarb umbrella

Olivia told me that rhubarb makes great jam. Since I had a few extra jars leftover from the party (more like 40 extra!), I thought I'd give it a go.

I separated the stalks from the leaves since the leaves are inedible. Apparently they contain oxalic acid, a poisonous chemical.

Garden-fresh rhubarb

I sterilized my jars by boiling the lids and baking the jars. It's what Jamie Oliver says to do, and I trust him. I washed them first, then boiled the lids and baked the jars at 350˚ for ten minutes each. I let them dry on a clean tea towel.

Meanwhile, I chopped up my rhubarb, squeezed and zested an orange and measured out the sugar and water. I meant to make half of the original recipe but apparently forgot that halfway through the ingredient list. As I'm typing it up now, I realize my mistake and why my jam was much more orange-flavored than I intended. Oops!

Rhubarb Jam (half of original recipe from here)

• 1 1/4 pounds fresh rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (I used two small oranges)
• 1/6 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water

Put everything into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into jars and store in the fridge.

The jam 5 minutes in

The jam 30 minutes in

Wax paper funnel

This recipe makes a lot. Even halved, it made almost three full jars worth (each jar is 280 ml or 9.85 ounces). I gave two away as gifts and selfishly kept one for myself. So far I've eaten it on toast, in oatmeal, on a scone, and by the spoonful :)

The jam was really easy to make and tastes delicious (even with the extra orange flavor)! I think this would be a fun base to experiment with. I might try and make another batch now and use strawberries instead of orange. I'll let you know how it works out.

Rhubarb-orange jam

See my other jam-making exploits here:

Raspberry
Strawberry-rhubarb 1(still my favorite)
Strawberry-rhubarb 2