I love making jam. I have been making jam for many years because I simply enjoy the flavor and I like knowing what my ingredients are. There is nothing worse than looking at the ingredient list of store bought items to find a long list of sugars, artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and other ingredients no one can really pronounce.
Homemade jam is really so simple — fruit of choice, lemon juice, pectin and sugar, unless you rather cook jam like many pioneers did and simmer it on the stove all day until thickened. Pectin to make jams was initially invented in 1790 and in the 1820’s women discovered adding fruit that gelled, like apples, could be added to fruit that did not, like berries, to make a thicker jam, but did not become more readily available to purchase until the early 1900’s.
Adding pectin, usually made from apple pommace or citrus, helps thicken the jam much quicker and eliminates the need for cooking jam all day long. I use the powdered pectin as I like the result much more than liquid pectin.
Today, we are making strawberry rhubarb jam because strawberries are plentiful and I purchased a bunch from our local farmers market! My rhubarb plant is producing large amounts of rhubarb and is perfect for canning fruit with, baking or making jam! I like using rhubarb when its nice and pinkish-red (although green works the same) and before it gets too large because often the larger the stalk, the more hollow it is and sometimes becomes rubbery and simply does not taste as good.
Let’s get started! First off, we need to prep our fruit! I have picked, washed, trimmed and peeled my rhubarb (sometimes the pink papery skin comes off when chopping which is perfectly fine!) and chopped it. I do not want to leave my rhubarb too large or it will not cook down, but I do like fruity pieces in my jam so I leave it a bit larger than a dice.
The strawberries from the local farmers market were simply delicious and so fragrant. Since we just planted strawberry plants, we will not have enough yet for jam, so we purchase from local farmers or from the BC fruit trucks that come to our Alberta farmers markets! Either way, they are simply delicious this time of year.
I chop the strawberries and add it to the rhubarb in a large saucepan.
Next, I turn the heat on medium on the stove and add lemon juice to my fruit, a splash of oil or butter to help reduce foam and sprinkle in the pectin. I sprinkle about 1/3 of the pectin in, stir well, add more, stir and add the remaining amount of the pectin while stirring.
Stir the fruit continuously because it will easily burn. Stir until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. A full rolling boil is a boil that cannot be stirred down.
Once boiling, add the full amount of sugar. Stir well and continue stirring until it comes to a full rolling boil again. Be sure to stir continuously because it will burn (and no one wants burnt bits in their jam!).
Bring to a boil — this part often takes a little while.
Once it comes to a full rolling boil, boil for 1 minute.
After the minute is up, remove from heat and stir another minute. If there is any foam left, remove foam and discard.
Time to can that delicious jam! In sterilized jars pour in jam (sterilize according to instructions but all I do is wash the jars thoroughly and set in canning pot of hot water and let simmer 10 minutes. Remove jars carefully).
Once jam is poured into jar up to 3/4″ of head space, stir to remove air bubbles. Wipe rim with wet cloth and place seal on (only new ones because once used, the seal becomes damaged and cannot be used again). Place ring on, finger tight – do not over tighten or jars may break.
Boil water in canning pot. Once boiling, place jars in. Place lid on canning pot and let process 10 minutes.
I never use my canning pot on my glass top stove as there have been many stories about the glass top shattering – I use an electric burner that I place on a cutting board which works fabulously.
Once the 10 minutes is up, remove from pot carefully and place on cutting boards that have been lined with towels. Do not bang jars. Do not retighten. Let jars cool several hours. You should hear the “popping” noise of them sealing.
Any jars that do not seal, should be placed in the fridge to use – unsealed jars that are not refrigerated run the risk of rotting, not to mention making someone sick. The top will be domed on jars that have not sealed and will make a clicking noise when touched (after they have cooled) and jars that have sealed will look flat or slightly concaved.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp butter or oil
1 package (57g) pectin
5-1/2 cups sugar
Combine fruit, lemon juice and oil together. Slowly stir in pectin. Bring to a rolling boil. Add sugar. Bring to a rolling boil, boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir 1 minute. Remove foam. Pour into sterilized jars. Wipe rims, place seal and ring on and just lightly tighten (finger tight). place in a canning pot with boiling water and process 10 minutes.
Remove carefully and let cool completely before touching. Popping noises will be heard when jars have sealed. Sealed jars can be labelled and stored for up to 1 year for best results (although I have used homemade jams after a couple years) and refrigerate jams that have not sealed to be eaten.
Enjoy on fresh bread, in sandwiches, with pancakes or even on top of ice cream! This jam is one of my family’s favorites and I am sure it will be one of your favorites too!
