Is there anything so lovely in the spring as the little fat heads of rhubarb peeking out of the moist soil? I planted a rhubarb plant a few years ago and harvested my first good yield last year. If the plant was especially fruitful I chopped and froze the stalks for later use. It's a great way to store it but I find I lose track of it in my freezer and find it sometime in November.
Many of the smaller stalks seem to stay green but some turn the deep rich red that lends itself so nicely to being combined with strawberries. I guess that is why there are so many recipes out now with rhubarb and strawberries. I'm never certain about how I feel using strawberry jello but it is a great way for beginning "jammers" to have instant success. Here are a few that are always winners:
Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked red-stalked rhubarb (about 1lb rhubarb and 1/4 cup water)
2 and 1/2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 and 1/2 quart boxes )
6 and 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 bottle liquid pectin
Procedure:
- Wash rhubarb and slice thin or chop; do not peel. Add water, cover, and simmer til tender. (about 1 minute)
- Sort and wash fully ripe strawberries; remove stems and caps. Crush berries.
- Measure prepared rhubarb and strawberries into a kettle. Add sugar and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles over the entire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim.
- Fill and seal containers. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.
- Yield - 7 or 8 half-pint jars.
Ingredients:
4 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2-pint basket raspberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom Procedure:
Combine rhubarb pieces, sugar and fresh lemon juice in heavy large Dutch oven. Cover and refrigerate until juices form, stirring occasionally, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Bring rhubarb mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil until rhubarb mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add raspberries and boil until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes longer. Remove jam from heat. Stir in ground cardamom. Cool jam completely. (Jam can be made 1 week ahead. Store in covered container in refrigerator.)
Makes about 2 cups
Rhubarb-ginger conserve
Ingredients:
3 oranges, peeled, cut-up, seeds removed
2 lemons, peeled, cut-up, seeds removed
12 cups rhubarb finely chopped
1/2 cup candied ginger finely chopped
10 cups sugar. Procedure:
Grind the oranges and lemons and combine them with the rhubarb, ginger and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for about an hour. Pour and process for your altitude.
