The u-pick strawberry farms just opened on Wednesday – the season has started very late this year with the cool weather. I took the younger two kids out there yesterday and put them to work. They did great – we picked 25 lbs before they lost interest and had to recover at the play area, and I bought another 30 lbs (some for us and some for a friend).
The farm also sells these great strawberry shortcakes – buns similar to scones, topped with icing and sliced in half with cooked strawberries in the middle – like a warm strawberry sandwich. We had those first, followed by some corn pizza (yum) to fortify us for the drive home.
It was a schwack of berries.
Everyone has their own way of putting up strawberries, but I wash them, cut off the tops and slice them into freezer bags in pre-measured amounts for making jam. Then I can just pull them out when I’m in the mood. I also freeze some whole for use in drinks (instead of ice cubes) or baking.
No-Pectin Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
This recipe is from Mary Anne Dragan’s Well Preserved and produces a lovely tart strawberry-rhubarb jam. It uses the slow-cook method to get the jam to gel, instead of pectin.
9 cups rhubarb (chopped into 1/2 inch slices)
12 cups sugar
9 cups sliced strawberries
3/4 cup lemon juice
Combine rhubarb and sugar into a large pot – let it stand for 2 hours. Sterilize your jam jars.
Add strawberries and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and boil rapidly, stirring often for 20-25 minutes until jam is slightly thickened. Click here to read more about how to test for set and process jam.
Remove from heat and stir for a few minutes. Skim the foam off the top with a spoon. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal before processing in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let the jars cool on a rack and wait for the ping to let you know the lids are vacuum sealed. (if any don’t ping, put those jars in the fridge and use them first). A little bit of summer saved in a jar!
A part of last night’s harvest: more strawberries and shelling peas.
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gardenopolis 
That’s so funny… I was going to phone you for advice about my jam! so thanks for this post. We also u-picked yesterday. where did you go?
ps. I forgot to answer your question about the superfine sugar – I am not sure if I did it right. I used icing sugar.
How did the jam work out? We went to Krause farms.
Hello, I am enjoying your blog and discovered your non-pectin strawberry rhubarb jam recipe. In fact, I’m in the middle of “combine rhubarb and sugar in a large pot – let it stand for 2 hours..” What is the reason for this? To soften and to pull out the bitterness before blending with the sweet strawberries? Thanks again – great photos! Barbara
That’s my best guess – I’ve read that if you don’t, the rhubarb can stay quite crunchy.
can you use plastic jars?
I think you could probably sterilize them, but sealing them with a vacuum seal (rubber ring plus lid) would be impossible. You could use plastic jars, as long as you kept them refrigerated and used the jam up fairly quickly. or froze it. hope that helps!
u dont ned to let it stand
no standing needed for jam myne tastes great
Im ready to go but need to understand balance of sugar and canning. the less sugar, the better the rhubarb taste comes across. So how little sugar can I use and still safely can the jelly/jam?
how many jars of jam does this recipe make?
and thanks for a wonderful slow-cook recipe!