Low Sugar Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

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For our ninth wedding anniversary, the Godfather and I decided to take the circus up to New York City for a whirlwind weekend and a Yankees game. We figured it fit since the modern 9th anniversary gift is leather and baseball gloves are leather. The last time we were in NYC, it was well before Ava entered our lives and we traveled without Dolce, so it was a bit of a different experience, but this last trip was fun. We explored some new areas, returned to a few favorites, and went to the Union Square Green Market. I picked up some gorgeous pink peonies that graced our home for a week after we returned and some fresh organic rhubarb.

I had plans for the rhubarb, so many plans, but as sometimes happens after vacation, we got home and things got very busy so I had little time to experiment. My rhubarb dreams had to be shelved temporarily and most of the rhubarb is sitting in my freezer waiting, but I couldn’t bring myself not to do anything before freezing the rhubarb, so I made some strawberry rhubarb jam.

I had two requirements to consider this jam a success. First, I wanted it to taste delicious (duh) and second, I wanted the fruit to shine through. One of my biggest pet peeves with many jams is that the sugar levels can be so high, you don’t taste the fruit! Rhubarb is slightly bitter, but has a delicate flavor, and a lot of rhubarb jam recipes seemed to call for more sugar than normal, resulting in a very sweet jam. So I thought about it a bit, and decided I would buy a low sugar pectin and modify a low sugar strawberry jam recipe to include rhubarb.

It actually worked perfectly and I’m very pleased with the results. So much so, that even though rhubarb season is over, I’m posting this anyway so, should you happen to find a bit of rhubarb at the end of the summer, you’ll know what to do. Otherwise, it’s never too early to plan for next year!

I use a water bath canner to make my jam because I don’t make enough to merit trying to squeeze a pressure canner into our tiny kitchen, so you can totally do this without specialty equipment… almost.

I have this canning essentials set by Progressive, and it was seriously the best “investment” I made into canning (it’s under $20, super affordable), and has all the little gadgets I need. The two things that make my life easier are the funnel and the jar lifter. So if you don’t have those, I’d recommend them, because once you make homemade jam, you’re never going back to store bought, promise.

A quick note: When I make this jam, I cook in a very wide, shallow pot, which allows for maximum liquid evaporation. If you are cooking in a standard pot, you may want to simmer the jam for 5-10 minutes before adding the pectin so you ensure a good “gel”. There shouldn’t be an excess of extra liquid in the pot when you add the pectin.

Happy canning, darlings!