Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This delightfully sweet and tart strawberry rhubarb jam is perfect for toast, biscuits and scones, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and even to use for filling cakes. We grow rhubarb in our backyard, and as soon as it’s ready to harvest in early spring, I make a fresh batch of strawberry rhubarb jam to last us all year. You’ll love how easy and delicious this homemade jam recipe is!

Don’t miss my post on how to make, store and preserve homemade jam.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for Gifting. Everyone loves homemade jam, and it looks so pretty in a nice glass jar with a cute label.

Good on Everything. Homemade jam really is one of the most homey treats there is, and it’s simply wonderful on biscuits and scones or spread onto warm, buttered toast. A great jam is always a welcome addition to a charcuterie board, too.

Sweet and Tart. Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic combination.  Rhubarb is very tart, and needs sugar to be palatable, so it pairs beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries.  Depending on what I have on hand, I’ve made my strawberry rhubarb jam with varying ratios of strawberries to rhubarb, and they all work, so it just comes down to what you prefer.  I’ve found that I prefer a ratio of two parts strawberries to one part rhubarb, for a perfectly sweet-tart jam.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Strawberries + Rhubarb. You can use either fresh or frozen fruit, whatever happens to be available. Fresh rhubarb is usually only found in grocery stores between March-June, but you might be able to find bags of frozen rhubarb in the off season. When using fresh rhubarb, be sure to cut off and discard the green leaves, as they are toxic.
• Lemon Juice + Zest. The lemon zest and juice enhances the flavors of the fruit, as well as adds some additional natural pectin to the jam.
• Granulated Sugar. The amount of sugar may seem like a lot, but really it’s just right.  Not only does the sugar add sweetness, but it preserves the fruit as well, so reducing the sugar will also reduce the jam’s shelf life.  If you plan to only make a small batch and eat it quickly, then by all means feel free to reduce the sugar if you feel so inclined.
• Pectin. Use classic powdered pectin.  I use and prefer the Ball brand of classic pectin, but other brands should work just fine as long as they are labelled “classic”, and not freezer or low-sugar versions.
• Butter. The fat in a small amount of butter helps to reduce any foam that gathers on top of the jam while cooking, so that your jam has a pretty, clear color.

Cooking Instructions

• First, make sure your jam jars, lids and rings are clean and sterilized. You can sterilize them in the dishwasher, or by boiling them for a few minutes in a large stock pot.
• In a large stock pot, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and zest.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat, until the rhubarb is softened and beginning to break down.  Mash the fruit slightly, or leave it chunky, whichever you like.
• Sprinkle the pectin over the fruit and stir it in.  Increase heat to medium/high and stir constantly (while wearing oven mitts to protect against splatter burns), and bring to a boil. 
• Dump all the sugar in at once.  Use 1 1/2 cups of sugar for a more tart jam, or 2 cups for a sweeter jam. Continue stirring constantly to return to a vigorous boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter (the fat helps to reduce any foaminess).
• Immediately ladle the jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4 inch gap at the top (called “head space”) to allow for expansion. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth. Center the lids on the jars, and screw on the lids “fingertip tight”.
• Jam stored in the refrigerator should be consumed within 1-2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe with just strawberries or just rhubarb?

• For strawberry rhubarb jam, I like a ratio of 2 parts strawberries to 1 part rhubarb. But you can certainly use just strawberries or just rhubarb, if you like. For a strawberry jam, use less sugar, around 1 cup for this recipe. For all rhubarb, use more sugar, up to 2 cups for this recipe.

How much jam does this recipe make?

• This recipe makes about 5 half-pint jars, which is equal to 5 8-ounce cups. I often double the recipe to make enough strawberry rhubarb jam to last us a whole year.

Do you ever add spices to homemade jam?

• Sometimes I’ll add a little cinnamon, cloves, or even vanilla extract. Those can be nice, but without spices, the flavor of the fruit really shines.

How do I make a lower sugar strawberry jam?

• The role of sugar in homemade jam is two-fold: to sweeten the fruit and to preserve the jam. Sugar is a natural preservative, so without sugar, jam has a much shorter shelf-life and can spoil more quickly. With sugar, you can keep a jar of jam in the refrigerator for several months, without fear of it spoiling.
• For my strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, you could go as low as 1 cup of sugar, but I wouldn’t go any lower than that, or the jam will be too tart.
• You can also experiment with a low-sugar pectin, which works to set and preserve homemade jam with less sugar.

Are rhubarb leaves poisonous?

• Yes, the green leaves are inedible due to their high concentration of oxalic acid, and consuming the leaves can cause rhubarb leaf poisoning. They are not toxic to the touch, though, so simply trim the leaves off the stalks and discard.

Is rhubarb supposed to be green or red?

• The variety of rhubarb plant will determine if the stalks are red, green or a combination of both, but there’s actually very little difference in taste. Red stalks are certainly prettier for cooking and baking, but green stalks taste just as delicious.

Resources

A helpful resource on making and storing homemade jam and fruit preserves, with a guide on types of pectin, tips for freezing and canning jam, and links to favorite jam recipes:

How to Make and Store Homemade Jam and Fruit Preserves

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