I was minding my own business the other day when I stumbled across a local pick-your-own strawberry patch just a few miles from home, and for some reason I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. So after work, I dropped what I was doing and ran over before the evening rain started, crouched down in the mud, and picked all the gorgeous strawberries I possibly could before I got waterlogged.
While I was checking out with my haul, the farmer mentioned she was also selling rhubarb if I was interested in making a pie. I told her I had my heart set on making jam and would love to try rhubarb but I’d never made anything with it before. She laughed me off when I asked for five pounds, and due to my inexperience she would only sell me two. She must not have known who she was dealing with (me, a spontaneously passionate rhubarb connoisseur), because I found myself at another farm stand buying four more pounds before the weekend was through. Y’all, the jam was just that good. Next strawberry season, I’ll do my best to be more assertive in my interactions with the vegetable dealers. Maybe I’ll even have a rhubarb patch of my own!
Making these jams is alarmingly easy. The focus is on the fresh fruit with minimal other ingredients, and not too much sweetness. I’m a bit lazy when it comes to things like straining (do I really want to wash another dish?! Clearly not) and I don’t really mind things like pulp or seeds in my jam. That might mean the product is a bit rustic, but the jam resembling the fruit as closely as possible is my end goal!
Here are my newly minted recipe favorites, feel free scale up in weight or adjust ingredients or sugar content to suit your taste preferences. These recipes should yield about 6-8 pint jars of each jam!
Two Small Batch Jams (Strawberry + Rhubarb)
DifficultyEasy
Prep time2 hours30 minutes
Cook time3 hours
Total time5 hours30 minutes
Two simple and flavorful jam recipes that capture and highlight the fruit at the peak of freshness.
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam
- 4 pounds fresh strawberries, halved or sliced
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 packet low sugar fruit pectin, (I used Sure-Jell in the pink box)
Rhubarb Jam
- 4 pounds fresh rhubarb, chopped
- 2½ cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 oranges, juiced (about ½ cup)
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 packet low sugar fruit pectin, (I used Sure-Jell in the pink box)
Instructions
Strawberry Jam
- 1
In a saucepan, mix your strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt together and set on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, and bring it to a boil.
- 2
Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low to bring it to a simmer. Stir frequently, and reduce the mixture until thick and syrupy. This can take 40-60 minutes.
- 3
Once thick, add in pectin and bring back up to a boil, then follow any additional package directions for your specific pectin.
- 4
When you’re satisfied with the consistency, add the jam to sterilized jars and seal with your preferred canning method, or refrigerate/freeze as desired. Be sure to follow the safety guidelines that match your chosen canning and storing methods.
Rhubarb Jam
- 1
In a saucepan, mix your rhubarb, sugar, water, orange juice, orange zest, and salt together and set on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, and bring it to a boil.
- 2
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low to bring it to a simmer and reduce the mixture until the rhubarb starts to break down. You may need to help it along with a wooden spoon. This may take up to an hour.
- 3
At this point, I recommend tasting the jam (careful, it is hot!) to be sure it reaches your desired sweetness level.
- 4
Once thick, add in pectin and bring back up to a boil, then follow any additional package directions for your specific pectin.
- 5
When you’re satisfied with the consistency, add the jam to sterilized jars and seal with your preferred canning method, or refrigerate/freeze as desired. Be sure to follow the safety guidelines that match your chosen canning and storing methods.
And that’s it! Enjoy your jams on toast, with scones, or mixed together for a strawberry rhubarb treat! They make lovely gifts, so be sure to share with a friend 🥰
