Rhubarb Jam

I’ve been making marmalades for months now.  There have been oranges, lemons, tangerines, kumquats, grapefruit, and pomelos scattered all over every surface in the kitchen.

Every time I finish with one case of citrus, I’ll swear to myself that I’m not doing any more marmalades because I’m so sick of finely slicing things… and then about two days will pass, I’ll forget my vow, and then decide it’s a good idea to do something idiotic like make 40 jars of kumquat marmalade.  

About 5 minutes after I start, I remember that I totally meant to not go down that road again, but since I don’t like wasting things I end up powering through several cases of kumquats and getting a bunch of calluses on my fingers from all the knife-work.

After this whole marmalade saga, I can say that I’m officially down to one last single lemon as of right now. If you see me at a farmers market, please just say:

LISTEN.  DON’T DO IT. IT’S NOT WORTH IT. STAY AWAY FROM THE ORANGES.

(But just writing that I start thinking – ah, but I don’t have enough blood orange things in jars, and I never got to do anything with those rangpur limes that Shae keeps raving about, so I can basically guarantee that I’m going to continue down this destructive path of citrus addiction for at least another month or two.)

I’m trying though! See? 

This rhubarb jam is completely different from all of the elaborate marmalades I’ve been working on.  It’s just plain rhubarb, with no bells, and whistles at all.  

I wanted to make something that was bright and clean tasting and completely true to the flavor of the fruit. So the rhubarb ends up doing this sweet-tart thing that’s so, so tasty….  This is, without a doubt, in my top 5 favorite preserves.  

I want to put it on everything.  I like it so much that I’m pretty sure I’m going to put in a twenty-foot row of rhubarb in the garden so that I can really have enough to play with.  

Rhubarb Jam Recipe

This recipe is my own, but very much inspired by the methods used in the Blue Chair Fruit cookbook and the vibrant colors of the jam over at INNA Jam, which I’ve never tasted before but I’ve stared at a lot on the internet.

Makes: a little more than 5 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 lbs. rhubarb
• 4 c. sugar
• lemon juice to taste, around 1/4 c.

Day 1:

Remove the leaves from the rhubarb stalks and discard them.  

Wash the stalks.  Slice the stalks into small pieces about 1/2″ wide.  

In a non-reactive container (like a large Tupperware or glass bowl), combine the chopped rhubarb and the sugar.  

Cover it.  

Put the container in the fridge for a day or two to macerate.

Day 2:

Cook the jam: Bring the boiling-water canner to a boil.  

Put the rhubarb mixture into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot.  

Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally. Try to be gentle when you stir so you keep some chunks of rhubarb; the pieces are very tender and fall apart very easily.  

I didn’t use a thermometer when I cooked this; I noticed that the jam visibly thickened more than it really looked like it had gelled.  

The rhubarb will start wanting to stick to the bottom of the pot towards the very end of the cooking time, so make sure to keep stirring and keep a close eye on it at the end of the cooking time.  

It ends up being a soft set jam, but the texture is wonderful, thick enough.  

Add in the lemon juice towards the end of the cooking time, going about a tablespoon at a time.  I wanted this to be pretty tart, so I put in a lot, but you don’t have to use as much as I did.  

It’s fine to turn off the jam, let it sit for a minute, taste it, and stir in a little more lemon juice if it needs more brightness.

Ladle cooked jam into clean jars leaving 1/4″ headspace.  

Wipe the rims of the jars completely clean and screw on the lids.  Process for 10 minutes, remembering to adjust for altitude if necessary.

NOTE: I like how simple this recipe is, but you could certainly use it as a starting point and add some other flavorings.

Future batches might have things like candied ginger, orange zest, lavender, etc. mixed in, but I wanted something simple before I pulled out all the fancy stuff.

29 thoughts on “Rhubarb Jam”

1. TexaslifemilitarywifeMARCH 25, 2012 AT 2:34 AMSo glad I came across your blog. I really want to start making my own jams and also learn how to can some veggies. I think Im going to love this!Reply
   1. CarolineMARCH 25, 2012 AT 2:43 AMhi! thanks for reading. I specifically recommend this one recipe for people who have little or no experience making jam: https://growitcookitcanit.com/2011/07/06/vanilla-peach-jam/ This rhubarb jam is pretty simple and easy too, though. Happy canning 🙂Reply
      1. TexaslifemilitarywifeMARCH 25, 2012 AT 9:31 PMThanks. I will definitely post when I try it!
2. Terry GolsonMARCH 25, 2012 AT 12:41 PMDo you have a favorite rhubarb variety to grow? I need to replant – my dog dug up and destroyed my rhubarb patch getting rid of pesky chipmunks And it was just getting mature enough so that I would have plenty for jam. (sigh.) Have you ever noticed a difference in the flavor of different rhubarb varieties?Reply
3. awildflowergirlMARCH 25, 2012 AT 4:41 PMLove it . . . and may just go right for adding lavender!Reply
4. lynnMARCH 30, 2012 AT 4:08 AMThis jam sounds so delicious. I had never ever eaten rhubarb of any kind until last summer when my sister made Norwegian Rhubarb Soup. Boy was it good! I looked it up to see if we could grow it here, but I guess it needs cooler weather than we have in Calif. Enjoy your jam, I am salivating just looking at it 🙂Reply
5. OFREMARCH 30, 2012 AT 4:17 AMThis sounds delicious! can’t wait for spring rhubarb to start popping up here in Edmonton to give this a try!Reply
6. Sydney JonesMARCH 30, 2012 AT 10:21 PMThis is simply perfect!Reply
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9. CarinMAY 7, 2012 AT 2:50 AMThis looks great. Is it possible to freeze it instead of using the boiling water canner?Reply
   1. CarolineMAY 7, 2012 AT 6:36 PMcarin, http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/04/29/preserving-rhubarb/ this post from Local Kitchen has info on freezing rhubarb. it’s definitely possible!Reply
10. Diane PowellMAY 9, 2012 AT 4:48 PMIf you make alot of jellies you need to buy a steamer juicer Lehmans.com from it cuts your prep time more than half . No more cheese cloth put friut in top and out comes pure juice.Reply
11. KathiMAY 29, 2012 AT 11:32 AMI just visited a girlfriend last weekend who made a great rhubarb crisp and mentioned how much she loves all things rhubarb, so I asked her if she’d ever made jam. She didn’t even know you could. I’ve made rhubarb/strawberry jam, but this recipe looks just perfect for her! I’ll send her your site information. Thanks for sharing. 🙂Reply
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14. Jen HunchukJUNE 26, 2012 AT 12:48 AMHello..I just harvested some of my rhubarb and went searching for some recipes and I cam across your blog! I made the jam! I am so excited about it. I made little gifts for my daughter’s teachers with a jar of rhubarb jam, a bowl and an ice cream scoop. This jam is unbelievable over ice cream. Thanks so much for sharing.Reply
15. cindyJULY 24, 2012 AT 1:09 AMHi…I already have my rhubarb cut & cooked, but I’m not sure how much it was to begin with. Any idea how many cups of cooked rhubarb you need for your recipe? Thank you!Reply
16. beckyJULY 28, 2012 AT 7:02 PMI’m fairly new to the whole canning thing. I have a few rhubarb plants and have been harvesting and freezing to make a bunch of jam. Your recipe seems simple enough, but you don’t say how long you cook the jam for. Just that once in the jars you process them in the boiling water cancer for ten minutes. So how long did you cook the jam until you added the lemon juice and do you continue to cook it after the lemon juice is added? ThanksReply
17. Jenn ArmstrongAUGUST 8, 2012 AT 3:44 PMI dont have a kitchen scale, how much roughly in cups is 3 1/4lbs rhubarb?Reply
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19. Rochelle CowanJULY 3, 2014 AT 12:15 AMThanks for the recipe. My three year old helped me taste test this afternoon. When the spoon went back in the jar for the fourth time I knew we had a winner!Reply
    1. CarolineJULY 8, 2014 AT 5:56 PMglad it was a success!Reply
20. LaurenAUGUST 12, 2014 AT 11:30 PMThis doesn’t need Pectin or anything? This is my first time making jam, so I wasn’t sure if that was something understood among pros.Reply
    1. CarolineAUGUST 14, 2014 AT 8:53 PMnope, no pectin needed. rhubarb has tons of natural pectin so you don’t need to add any.Reply
       1. LaurenAUGUST 15, 2014 AT 7:41 PMThank you!
21. tiaAUGUST 21, 2014 AT 2:38 PMcould I use lime juice instead of lemon? I figured it was similar and I do not have lemon, only lime.Reply
22. AndyJUNE 28, 2015 AT 10:48 PMThis turned out great. So simple, so perfect.
    I’ve been wasting rhubarb all these years making strawberry-rhubarb jam… so much rhubarb lost. 😉
    Thanks for the recipe.Reply
23. EricaMAY 29, 2016 AT 11:20 PMA neighbor gave us some rhubarb stalks & I decided to make rhubarb jelly / jam but every recipe I found on the net called for pectin. I found yours & am SO happy I did!! Just made the jam & it is AMAZING!! I ended up with 2 pints & 1 smaller jar of it.I feel SO ACCOMPLISHED as this is my FIRST jam/ jelly AND my first canning experience aside from some tomatoes. You made it sound so simple & easy so I decided to try it… VOILA!! Success!! TY!!