Rhubarb Orange Jam
|
6 Cups Rhubarb, chopped |
1/3 Cup Orange Juice |
|
2 Cups Sugar |
½ Cup Water |
|
2 tsp Orange Zest |
12-15 Drops Red Food Coloring (optional) |
Chop rhubarb. Combine all ingredients except food coloring and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until desired consistency (about 20 minutes). During the last minute of cooking add food coloring. Ladle into sterile jars and secure the lids. Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.
I simply couldn’t do ANYTHING without my food chopper!
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A few things I learned from making this jam:
1- 1- The citrus flavor from the orange juice is the perfect complement to the bitter rhubarb.
2- 2- Avoid cooking the jam for too long. I let mine simmer for about 40 minutes, which left the consistency more like that of a butter rather than a jam. There is no need to use pectin as the ingredients will naturally thicken.
3- 3- I know some people are against using artificial coloring but the red food coloring makes the jam a much more appealing orange color rather than the bright green color from the rhubarb. If your rhubarb has a lot of red in it this will not be necessary but my stalks were almost 100% green. For some reason bright green jam didn’t seem all that appetizing to me.
4- 4- If you prefer to do things the old fashion way simply turn the jars upside down and the heat from the boiling jam will seal the jars. This method of jar sealing is not approved but I know many people who have sealed jam this way forever, including most of our grandmothers.
5- 5- Don’t expect a high yield from this recipe. If you have tons of rhubarb by all means, double it! I ended up with only 3, ½ pint jars, which doesn’t seem like much but I didn’t want to use all of my rhubarb.
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Isn’t it beautiful! I LOVE trying new things with a fantastic ingredient like Rhubarb!
