Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

In my youth, I loved eating rhubarb dipped in sugar.  Somehow, my love for it didn't transfer into my adulthood.  It's not as if I didn't have access to rhubarb because I've been growing it in my gardens for a very long time.  I just didn't pick it.  I don't know what was the cause of my aversion to it.

So, when I was teaching my friend to jam this past weekend, I decided to make strawberry rhubarb jam as another jam flavor.  Wow, strawberry rhubarb jam is super awesome and good.  It was sweet but puckery sour.    I found the recipe at this website, which doesn't use any pectin other than the lemon juice.  Since the recipe doesn't use commercial pectin, it will set up a bit soft and not be too firm.  I modified the recipe a bit and the following is my take on it.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

1.5 pounds of strawberries

1.5 pounds of rhubarb

2 Cups of sugar

Juice of one lemon

1. Wash the strawberries and rhubarb.  Cut the strawberries in half.  Cut the rhubarb into small pieces.

2. Put the strawberry, rhubarb and sugar into a bowl.  Gently stir to distribute the sugar.  Cover the bowl and let the fruit macerate in the sugar for at least six hours, up to twenty-four hours.

3. Pour the liquid from the macerated fruit into a pan and cook the liquid on medium heat until the volume goes down in half.

4. Add the fruit into the pan.  Continue to cook on a medium high heat and stir the mixture so it doesn't burn the bottom of the pan.  The cooking should take about 20 - 30 minutes.

5. Cook to a jam-like consistency.  You can check the consistency of the jam by using this method (which is my favorite method).

6. Take the jam off the stove and water bath can the jam.  (You can find canning instructions here.)

I need to find people to give my jam to because I've made enough to last a long time.  Enjoy and let me know what you think of the recipe.