Some of my fondest memories of Grandma’s kitchen involve a strawberry, rhubarb combination. She used to make some of the best cobblers! She never measured anything and I’d get tickled when she cooked with rhubarb. She would add what she thought was enough sugar, then she’d add a little more just for good measure! I had to figure out a way to get that combination of tart sweetness into something that I could eat in much smaller portions. There’s something about combining the sweet strawberries with the tart rhubarb that makes a blissful combination and leaves you wanting more. When I tasted this jam, I could close my eyes and envision standing back in Grandma’s kitchen.
Rhubarb can be hard to find in my area until late May. Sometimes, you can find it at the Farmer’s Market or the grocery store. I got super excited when I found some at Food Lion last week! I never remember year from year what I pay or how many cups a pound will yield. This year rhubarb costs averages $2.50-$3.00 a pound and it yielded approximately 4 cups.
- 8 cups rhubarb, cut into small 1/2 inch, or smaller, pieces
- 6 cups strawberries, mashed
- 6 cups sugar, cut in half
- 1 pad of butter
Wash strawberries and rhubarb very good. Cut rhubarb stalks into small pieces.
Cover the rhubarb with 3 cups of sugar, set aside and and let it set 1 to 2 hours.
Cap and mash the strawberries and mix with remaining 3 cups of sugar and set aside combine or 1 to 2 hours.
Combine the strawberries with the rhubarb in a pot on the stove and cook on low until all the sugar is dissolved, then boil rapidly, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
When it begins to foam, add a little bit of butter and watch how quickly the foam disappears! Skim off any foam that doesn’t disappear.
Continue to cook until thick, continually skimming the foam off of the top. The whole cooking process will take about 45 minutes from start to “thick”.
After 25 to 30 minutes into the cooking process, get your canning supplies ready. Start a water bath canner about half way full of water and a pot of water for your lids. Turn the oven on 200 degrees and put your sterile jars in the oven to get them hot. Once the jam is ready, pour it into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, place lids, tighten rings and place in hot water bath. Process for 15 minutes and let sit for an extra 5 minutes before taking out of the canner.
This recipe yielded 11 of the 4 oz jelly jars.
Preserving the Good Life 
Hello from Belgium,I have never herd about adding butter in jam.Do you do it for the foam?Does it make a difference for the taste?Thanks for the answer.
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Greetings from Mayberry! Yes, the butter does help cut down the foam and that’s the purpose of using it. If you do add too much it will give it a buttery taste. That happened to me once with plain strawberry. So less butter is better.
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Reblogged this on Preserving the Good Life and commented:
One of my all time favorites….
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