Rhubarb is a truly special garden treasure. In the garden it has a strong and striking appearance , yet tastes of little, so people don’t know quite what to make of it. But once cooked its real personality is revealed as quite sweet, soft and elegant. And in the mouth it comes alive with one of the most delightfully unique, yet subtle , flavours imaginable. Cooking rhubarb is not without its tricks. For making this jam we need to add citrus to give it a texture boost (because of its lack of pectin) without overwhelming the subtle flavor . Rhubarb also does not break down easily, so take care to cut into small chunks or be left with a stringy mess. -Matt Miller
PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes, plus time to set
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
Makes 2x 125ml/ small jam jars or 1x 230ml standard jar
- 2-3 stalks of organic rhubarb
- 170g granulated sugar
- 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste (or scraped out interior seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod)
- 227ml water
In a large bowl combine: Washed and diced rhubarb stalks of only the pink and red portions. Try for small 1-2cm diced pieces Lime zest juice and seeds Vanilla Water Stir all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 1 hour-overnight. This gives the pectin a chance to be released from the seeds and water to leave the rhubarb stalks, ensuring a better consistency. Place a small plate in the freezer. Remove any lime seeds. Place the rhubarb mixture in a saucepan on med high heat. Once it begins reach a boil , stir slowly but constantly so as not to burn the bottom. After 5 minutes use a spoon to add a little of the mixture onto the pre-frozen plate. If begins to set and you can draw your finger through without the liquid moving to fill the space you are ready. If not, just a bit longer. Keep testing until it is just so. I find that using a sugar thermometer and heating the jam to 105C is the most accurate way to achieve a good set. Depending on how much water your rhubarb holds and how juicy your lime is, you may have to boil off more or less liquid. Transfer mixture immediately to sterilised glass containers for cooling. Once cooled your jam can now go in the refrigerator for use as a treat on buttered toast or to have a starring role in some of the recipes featured in April.
