Two of the easiest crops you can grow in your home garden would be blueberries and rhubarb. They are also perhaps two of the most delicious and they pair really well for desserts and jams. It is just the right combo of sweet and tangy, in fact you may decide you like this pairing better than strawberries and rhubarb. It’s Blubarb!
This recipe is lower in sugar than many others (ie 1 cup versus 5-6) and because it doesn’t have a lot of sugar I use Pomona’s pectin powder with calcium water to help it gel. Since it does not require sugar to jell, jams and jellies can be made with less, little, or even no sugar. I haven’t tried it myself but you could omit the sugar altogether and use alternative sweeteners such as honey, sucanat, maple syrup, stevia, or xylitol. Enjoy!
Homemade Blueberry Rhubarb Jam
Ingredients:
1 lb. blueberries
1 lb. rhubarb stalks, trimmed
1/2 C water
1/4 C lemon juice
2 tsp calcium water
1 1/4 C sugar
2 1/2 tsp pectin powder
Prep Work:
Prep the calcium water by combining 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder and a 1/2 cup water in a small jar with a lid. Shake well. Make sure all your canning jars, lids, and bands are cleaned and sanitized. These jam jars are the perfect size!
Directions:
-
- Rinse blueberries and mash in a large bowl, set aside.
- Rinse rhubarb and slice the staks lengthwise into thin strips and then dice.
- Add the rhubarb to a sauce pot along with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer (covered) for 5 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft.
- Once soft remove the rhubarb from the heat and mash.
- Measure 2 cups of the blueberries and 2 cups of rhubarb and combine in a sauce pot.
- Add the calcium water and lemon juice and mix well.
- In another bowl mix the sugar and pectin together.
- Bring the fruit mix to a rolling boil and slowly add the sugar/pectin mixture, stirring continuously.
- Once all the sugar and pectin are integrated and the jam returns to full boil, remove from heat.
- Ladle the jam into your canning jars leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top.
- Remove air bubbles and wipe down the side of the jars with a clean, damp cloth.
- Close lids and lower jars into your canner. Make sure they are not touching and have at least 2 inches of water on the top.
- Close the canner lid and bring to a boil, allow the jam jars to process for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit for five minutes and then remove them and allow them to cool undisturbed, for 24 hours.
- Store in a cool, dark place. After opening, jam must be stored in the refrigerator.
