For the first time in 2011, I’m actually adding something to our pantry rather than taking it off the shelf.  It feels good to put aside some goodies for another season. I know when the time comes, we’ll enjoy that sweet/tart rhubarb taste even more.

Preserving rhubarb for future use can be as easy or complicated as you want.

When I want easy, I simply wash it, cut it, let it air dry and then freeze it in freezer bags.  It can be used for crisps, muffins, bars and most of the other rhubarb recipes listed on this blog.  I have never had a problem using frozen rhubarb.  While we usually use all of ours within 8-10 months, I believe it would last for at least a year.

As an alternative to freezing, I tried making rhubarb jam for the first time.  I was hesitant to make “green” jam, so I opted for using the red and red/green rhubarb stalks for the jam.  The green stalks will wait for another recipe.

Here are the two jams now gracing my pantry.  Classic Rhubarb Jam and Rhubarb Pineapple Jam.

Classic Rhubarb Jam

Courtesy of a fellow Professional Home Economist who used to test recipes for Winnipeg Hydro.

Ingredients:

4 cups  diced rhubarb

3 cups sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Yield: 3 cups or 3 x 250ml jam jars

Preparation:

In a large saucepan combine all ingredients.  Let stand for 15 minutes to draw out some of the rhubarb juice.

Bring to boil.  Boil for 13-15 minutes stirring frequently.

To test for the proper jam consistency, put a small plate in the fridge to get it really cold.  When you’ve boiled your mixture for about 13 minutes take a teaspoonful and place it on the cold plate.  Place it back in the fridge for just under a minute.  Now tilt the plate and look at your “jam”.  What does it look like?  Is it runny or fairly stiff?  If it’s too runny, boil the mixture some more and test again. Repeat this process until what you have on your plate looks the way you like your jam.  This tried and true test simulates what your end product will look like, so what you get on the cold plate is what you’ll get in the jar!

Carefully place the jam in jars that have been sterilized according to the instructions below.  Leave a 1/4 inch headspace.

Remove any air bubbles by sliding a spatula along the inside of the glass.  Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, damp cloth.

Place lid on top followed by the screw top lid.  Tighten the screw top lid and then undo by a quarter turn.

Heat process your jam to give it a shelf life of 1 year.  (There seems to be some debate (Bernardin vs Kraft) about whether or not to heat process jam.  Bernardin says you should, Kraft says it’s not necessary.)  I did, but for three jars of rhubarb jam that will probably be eaten within the next 3 months, I may not the next time around.  If you choose to, here are the basic instructions.

Place jars in a large pot of water with a rack and a tight fitting lid. (If you don’t have a rack for your pot, make a temporary one using screw top lids from extra canning jars.)  Cover the jars with 1 inch of water and allow room for a rolling boil.  Bring the water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from water and let rest on counter for 24 hours.  You should hear the jars “pop”.

Check the seal after 24 hours of cooling.  If the lid is curved down and remains like that when pressed, it is sealed.

Put on toast, waffles, pancakes or ice cream and enjoy!

Rhubarb Pineapple Jam

Ingredients:

3 cups  diced rhubarb

1 can  (19 oz /540ml) crushed pineapple

2 3/4 cups sugar

1 box Certo Light Pectin Crystals

Yield: 4 cups or 4 x 250ml jam jars

Preparation:

In a large saucepan combine rhubarb, pineapple (with juice).

Combine pectin with 1/4 cup of sugar.  Add to rhubarb.

Bring to boil.

Add remaining sugar.

Boil until rhubarb softens, about 10 – 15 minutes.  Stir frequently.

Carefully place the jam in jars that have been sterilized according to the instructions below.  Leave a 1/4 inch headspace.

Remove any air bubbles by sliding a spatula along the inside of the glass.  Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, damp cloth.

Place lid on top followed by the screw top lid.  Tighten the screw top lid and then undo by a quarter turn.

Heat process your jam to give it a shelf life of 1 year.  Place jars in a large pot of water with a rack and a tight fitting lid. (If you don’t have a rack for your pot, make a temporary one using screw top lids from extra canning jars.)  Cover the jars with 1 inch of water and allow room for a rolling boil.  Bring the water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from water and let rest on counter for 24 hours.  You should hear the jars “pop”.

Check the seal after 24 hours of cooling.  If the lid is curved down and remains like that when pressed, it is sealed.

Put on toast, waffles, pancakes or ice cream and enjoy!

Sterilizing Jam Jars, Lids and Equipment (from Kraft Canada)

You can pre-sterilize jars & lids by using one of two methods:

1. Sterilize all jars, lids and filling equipment in a 225ºF oven for 10 minutes, then keep in the oven, with heat turned off, until needed so they stay warm.
2. Sterilize all jars, lids and filling equipment in boiling water for 15 minutes and keep warm.

At 4:50 pm today, we had our 100th volunteer sign up.  That’s a 1000% increase in the number of volunteers from last year.  Can you say WOW!

We also had our 51st fruit owner sign up.

That’s a lot of fruit that we’ll be rescuing this summer.

Thanks everyone for your interest and support.