Rhubarb jam, preserve… you’ve said a mouthful!

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2014 (4097 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This week we have two recipes in response to Renee Lavitt, who remembered a rhubarb jam her mother used to make, with orange rind and walnuts. Anne Thoroughgood wrote in with a version of this jam, which happens to be her dad’s favourite. She makes it for him for Father’s Day every year. Thank also to Laurel Malkin, who sent in a rhubarb conserve she found in her aunt’s old recipe boxes.

This week, we have a request for old-fashioned plum kºchen, the kind made with yeast. If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Dad’s Favourite Rhubarb Jam

1.4 kg (3 lbs) rhubarb, chopped (about 9 cups)

1.4 kg (3 lbs or 6 3/4 cups) granulated sugar

3 oranges, cut up fine

225 g (1/2 lb) raisins

250 ml (1 cup) walnuts, chopped

 

In large bowl, mix rhubarb and sugar and let stand overnight. Add other ingredients and boil in large, heavy non-reactive pot for about 1 hour. Seal in jars. (Inexperienced canners should consult a canning cookbook or website such as www.bernardin.ca for detailed instructions on safe canning techniques. Or store in fridge in an airtight container and use within a week.)

 

Tester’s notes: This jam is beautifully complex, with the tartness of rhubarb, the dark, intense sweetness of raisins and the crunch of walnuts. The orange peel adds a lot of flavour, and I used whole seedless oranges, peel and all, cut up fine, as for marmalade. Cooking time might vary a little, based on the pot used and the level of heat, and remember it will thicken a little on cooling. You want the final result to be jammy but not gluey. Make sure to keep heat low and stir quite regularly, especially in the last 20 minutes, to keep mixture from scorching and sticking. You can cut the recipe in half.

 

Rhubarb Preserve

750 ml (3 cups) cut rhubarb

750 ml (3 cups) granulated sugar

grated rind and juice of 3 oranges and 1 lemon

225 g (1/2 lb) chopped almonds

 

In large, heavy pot, cook rhubarb, sugar and grated rind and juice for 30 minutes. Add almonds and cook for 5 minutes more. (If making preserves, inexperienced canners should consult a canning cookbook or website such as www.bernardin.ca for detailed instructions on safe canning techniques. Or store in fridge in an airtight container and use within 10 days.)

 

Tester’s notes: I love the fresh citrus tastes here, and the almonds make a nice complement.