Jam Session

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is native to Siberia. This herbaceous perennial is technically a vegetable, but we have come to think of it as a fruit and use it in desserts, so I am including it in this book of fruit preserves. In England it is called the pie plant, but there’s more to rhubarb than pie. In parts of the Middle East it is used in place of lemon to add acidity in sauces and soups. Its leaves are poisonous, so we eat just the stalks. For preserving, its intense sourness is countered with sugar.

Rhubarb needs cool weather during the growing season and comes into season in late April or May, with a second harvest that begins in June and runs through July. When shopping for rhubarb, select stalks that are firm, not flabby. You want them to be neither too thin (flavorless) nor too thick (stringy and tough). The stalks’ color will vary from pink to red to greenish red, but the color does not affect the flavor. Field-grown rhubarb is redder than rhubarb grown in a hothouse.

Rhubarb and strawberries come into season at about the same time. After the long winter of citrus fruits, we are eager for such new flavors. Strawberries soften rhubarb’s sharp angles and add a delicate floral note. They also accentuate the reddish color of the fruit. Rose sugar can add additional perfume. Rhubarb also pairs well with carrots (see Carrot-Rhubarb Jam, this page), the other spring vegetable we use in desserts.

Over the course of a year, the color of some rhubarb jams will fade a bit or darken. Blending in strawberries and blood orange juice helps retain rhubarb’s red color.

Natural flavor pairings for sweet rhubarb preserves are ginger, citrus, vanilla, rose, anise, strawberries, and raspberries.

You can choose to play up rhubarb’s inherent bold tartness by using it in a chutney to serve with poultry, lamb, and some fish, such as salmon.

You have to be a fan of tart and bitter flavors to love pure rhubarb jam, untempered by sweet and fragrant strawberries. Spread it on toast, pancakes, scones, or biscuits. Or fold it into some strawberries to use as a shortcake filling.

Wash, trim (no need to peel it unless it is particularly stringy), and dice the rhubarb. You will have about 8 cups.

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the rhubarb, sugar, and citrus juice and toss to mix. Let sit overnight to macerate. Alternatively, you may skip the overnight maceration and bring the rhubarb mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 to 2 hours.

Place a baking sheet on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set two stockpots on the stove and fill them with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars (see this page) in the water bath.

For a jam with some texture, set a colander over a bowl and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to the colander. If you prefer a smoother texture in your finished jam, do not remove the fruit before proceeding.

If you removed the rhubarb, bring the juices to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened or the mixture registers 220°F on a candy thermometer. If you do a preliminary plate test (see this page) the juices will not run very much. Carefully add the rhubarb back to the pot, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl under the colander. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until it passes the plate test and reaches a soft set.

For the smoother textured jam, cook the fruit with the juices over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it passes the plate test, achieving a soft set that mounds on the plate and is not runny. Remove the pot from the heat.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

Using a jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the pots. When the water returns to a boil, decrease the heat to an active simmer, and process the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheet and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed (see this page). Label and store the sealed jam for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

The major variable here is the amount of spiciness of the fresh ginger. Some fresh ginger is mild, and some is quite zippy. Adding a bit more sugar will keep it in check if it is too strong. And vanilla will add balance, too. If the rhubarb has a greenish tinge, and if blood oranges are available, adding their juice will make for a more attractive-looking preserve.

2 cups orange juice or substitute up to 1 cup blood orange juice if you want a redder hue

6 to 8 ounces fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin, and finely grated in a food processor

Wash, trim (no need to peel it unless it is particularly stringy), and dice the rhubarb. You will have about 8 cups.

In a large preserving pot, combine the rhubarb, orange zest and juice, ginger, sugar, and lemon juice and toss to mix. Let sit overnight to macerate.

The next day, place the pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Taste the rhubarb and add sugar and lemon juice to taste if the rhubarb is not tart enough. Return the pot to medium-high heat, bring back to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Taste the jam again and add the vanilla. Cook the jam briefly, until it passes the plate test (see this page), achieving a soft set that mounds on the plate and is not runny. Remove the pot from the heat.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

This is a crowd-pleaser. You can make this with plain sugar, but the rose sugar adds a subtle perfume to the jam. As a change of pace after you’ve made this a few times, you may use raspberries in place of the strawberries, but it is hard to resist a classic pairing.

Use as a filling for shortcakes, atop rice pudding or panna cotta, or, of course, on toast or biscuits.

Wash, trim (no need to peel it unless it is particularly stringy), and dice the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. You will have about 8 cups.

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and rose sugar or additional granulated sugar, and toss to mix. Let sit overnight to macerate.

The next day, bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes.

Set a colander over a bowl and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb and berries to the colander.

Place two baking sheets on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set two stockpots on the stove and fill them with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars (see this page) in the water bath.

Reduce the rhubarb-strawberry syrup until it thickens, passes the plate test (see this page) and does not run. Carefully return the fruit to the jam pot, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl under the colander, and add the blood orange juice.

Cook the jam briefly until it passes the plate test again, achieving a soft set that mounds on the plate and is not runny. Remove the pot from the heat.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheets and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed (see this page). Label and store the sealed jam for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

This one is a poem. The color is a spectacular deep red. If you store this jam for more than 6 months, the color will fade, but the jam will still taste fine. It just won’t be as pretty.

Some blood oranges are quite juicy. Others can be rather dry, especially late in the season, ironically just as the rhubarb is hitting the market. Be prepared and have at least a dozen on hand. In the winter, I squeeze a lot of blood oranges when they are at their peak and freeze the juice in 1- or 2-cup quantities.

Wash, trim (no need to peel it unless it is particularly stringy), and dice the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. You will have about 8 cups.

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the rhubarb, orange juice and zest, and rose sugar, and toss to mix. Let sit overnight to macerate. Alternatively, you may skip the overnight maceration and bring the rhubarb mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking it for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 to 2 hours.

After the resting period, return the pot to medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching, or until most of the rhubarb is soft. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 to 2 hours more. The jam may thicken as it sits.

Bring the jam to a boil and cook until it passes the final plate test (see this page). The jam should mound on the plate and not run. Remove the pot from the heat.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.