Strawberry rhubarb jam

This strawberry rhubarb jam is a wonderfully tasty combination of flavors, with sweet strawberry balanced with gently tart rhubarb. The textures also work so well, with the rhubarb giving an extra smoothness. Easy to make and easy to enjoy.

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Rhubarb and strawberries are both sure signs of spring, and they both also work so well together. The tartness and sweetness balance each other as well as their soft textures and bright flavors. They work well together in desserts like my strawberry rhubarb crisp, and also in this tasty, easy jam.

I used to make jams with my mum as a young child and always loved the process, from picking fruit to standing stirring the pot. After a while of not making my own, I have come full circle and now we are rarely without a jar of homemade deliciousness in the fridge.

Why small batch, low sugar jam?

If you have tried any of my other jams, you will know I typically make small batch, low sugar jams. The two go hand in hand, to me, and I make them this way for a few reasons.

In terms of sugar, while fruits are naturally sweet, you still need to add some sweetener when you make jams to add to the flavor, act as preservative and help the mixture thicken. You can, to a point, use other options like chia seeds to help thicken but the texture is that bit different. 

Commercial jams can have up to equal parts sugar to fruit which to me is far too much. Even higher end preserves are around 1 part sugar to 2 parts fruit. I typically go with 1 part sugar to between 3 and 4 parts fruit. The higher proportion of fruit means you get much more of the fruit flavor rather than just sweetness which I like a lot better.

The downsides of using less sugar is that it takes a little longer to cook down and doesn't keep as long (as you have less of the preservative effect from sugar). This is where small batch comes in: cooking less speeds up the process and means you get through it quicker. I also store these jams in the fridge to help it keep better.

You might also have guessed that using more fruit ends up that bit more expensive to make. However, if you go with in-season fruit, you can often keep cost in check a little more. Jams are also a great way of using up fruit that might be about to go past it's best, and you can often be flexible with what exactly you add in. 

Do you need to add pectin?

In short, for this recipe I don't add pectin. Some jams use added pectin to help the mixture thicken that bit more quickly and more firmly. Most fruits have a level of pectin naturally occurring in the fruit, though the levels vary from fruit to fruit. 

Typically, citrus fruits and some other fruits like apples, cranberries and quince have higher levels of pectin. Meanwhile softer fruit like strawberries, blackberries and peaches have less. 

I don't typically add pectin to the jams I make but instead use a combination of a little added lemon juice and cooking a little more. I also personally don't mind of the jam is not that firmly set. 

Preparing the rhubarb and strawberries for jam

Strawberries are very easy to prepare as you simply remove the stem and roughly chop the fruit. You don't need tiny pieces, but chopping a little helps the fruit cook a little quicker.

In general, riper fruit are better than under-ripe here - they have more flavor. A little over-ripe is fine, but remove any parts that are going bad.

Rhubarb is also pretty easy to prepare. The leaves are not edible so you need to remove both any leafy end and the root end of the stem. Then, slice up the stem.

I recommend cutting relatively thin slices as sometimes it can be slightly stringy so this reduces the length of the 'strings'. If any part of the skin doesn't cut then just remove it as it may be more tough and stringy.

Once the jam starts to cook a little, the fruits will release their natural juices. This will dissolve the sugar and help everything cook and break down. 

After cooking a little while, the fruit should become tender to a knifepoint. At this point, I recommend mashing the mixture to give a more even end texture. Scrape down the sides after mashing and any time you stir or it will just stick and become thick on the side. That becomes harder to clean after.

Cook the jam a few minutes to thicken up and become roughly the consistently you are looking for. Remember, it will thicken a little more after it cools.

You can do the plate test if you really want to check it will set (chill a plate, drop a little jam on it and leave a minute to see if it no longer runs). But as I say, I think just fairly firm is good with this being lower sugar. So instead, I tend to just pull a spatula through the mixture and see if it takes a little time to close up after.

This strawberry rhubarb jam is brightly fruity, with a delicious flavor and lovely smooth texture. Not only do the two compliment each other flavor-wise, they also work so well texture-wise to give a jam that's one you'll be sure to love.

Try these other delicious jams:

• Pear jam
• Mango jam
• Blackberry jam
• Plum jam
• Plus get more jam, sauce and condiment recipes in the archives.

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