Rhubarb and Elder flower Jam

I have this things about making jam in sets of three - that is 3 different jams with a similar theme for the flavour. For example: plum jam, plum & cinnamon jam and plum & mulled wine jam. I think it is because when I sell my jams at craft fayres around Christmas time, I have hessian bags for jam with 3 spaces in them. In reality my customers usually choose a completely random selection of flavours to put in their bag and I don't think anyone has ever gone for a set of three along the same flavour theme. Still... the option is there if they want it!

So, having made rhubarb & ginger jam and then rhubarb & raspberry jam I was on the look out for a 3rd flavour. And then yesterday I went out picking elder flowers and the answer became obvious. The main reason I picked elder flowers is because last year I missed them and had to make plain gooseberry jam, not gooseberry and elderflower jam. In fact, by the time my gooseberries are ready to eat the elder flowers have all finished so this year I have been keeping a close eye on the hedgerow with the intention of freezing some elder flowers for use when the gooseberries are ripe.

As it happens, the elder flowers are only just beginning to come out around here but I picked a fair few heads yesterday, snipped the flowers off and froze them. I kept a few aside to use with another pound of rhubarb and today I turned them into rhubarb and elderflower jam. I'm thinking I might go out again next week and get some more to make some elder flower cordial after the great successes of both my blackcurrant and raspberry cordials.

Rhubarb & Elderflower Jam (makes a bit more than 1 lb)

1lb (454g) rhubarb
1 oz (25g) elder flowers
1 lemon, rind and juice
1lb sugar

Chop the rhubarb into inch long sections. Mix all the ingredients together in an non-metallic bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight. Decant the mixture into a preserving pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and cook until the rhubarb is pulpy. Bring to a vigorous boil until the setting point is reached. Ladle into warmed jars and seal immediately.

Rhubarb and raspberry jam

When I was wondering, a few weeks ago, whether to make rhubarb jam someone on the Yahoo Kitchen gardening list suggested making rhubarb and raspberry jam if I still had raspberries in my freezer. I do still have raspberries in my freezer and I'm always on the look out for ways to use raspberries because we have so many of them. So yesterday I picked another pound of rhubarb and retrieved 8 oz of raspberries from the bottom of my chest freezer. Today I converted them into a delicious, almost neon red coloured jam.

I am quickly warming towards rhubarb. It has an appetising citrus smell when chopped and I can understand why raspberries are suggested as a combination with it because there is a similarity in the flavours. Rhubarb is quick to cook and cooperatively sets into jam. And the end result is good too. Rhubarb and raspberry jam has an interesting flavour that I have been trying to describe all day. Sweet and sour, maybe, fruity, certainly. I'm beginning to think I might have to start growing the stuff!

Rhubarb & Raspberry Jam
(makes about 1 lb 8 oz)

1lb (454g) rhubarb
8 oz (225g) frozen raspberries
1 lemon, rind and juice
1lb 8 oz sugar

Chop the rhubarb into inch long sections. Gently heat the raspberries in a pan until they break up. Push the raspberry puree through a sieve to remove the seeds. Mix all the ingredients together in an non-metallic bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight. Decant the mixture into a preserving pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and cook until the rhubarb is pulpy. Bring to a vigorous boil until the setting point is reached. Ladle into warmed jars and seal immediately.

Rhubarb and ginger jam

Rhubarb is ridiculously easy to grow and once you plant it, you have it for life. It is also handy to have as it starts cropping in April when there is very little else growing and certainly no other fruit - not that rhubarb is strictly a fruit. The only down side, that I can see, is its flavour! Of course, many people like the stuff and enjoy it stewed as a crumble or pie filling or just with a good dollop of custard. Personally, I can't stand the stuff, which is why I don't grow it.

I'm temporarily looking after a plot for a friend who's out of the country and he has rhubarb on this plot so I thought I'd make the most of this situation and see if I could make something tasty out of rhubarb without making the lifelong commitment to a plant. So yesterday I picked 5 stems and tried making rhubarb jam for the first time. After standing it in sugar and lemon juice overnight I went ahead with making the jam this morning and I was pleasantly surprised on two accounts. Firstly, the jam was easy to make and set, despite being a low pectin "fruit", and secondly, the end result was both beautiful and delicious - like a gingery nectar!

Hmmm... I'm beginning to wonder whether I have harshly misjudged the humble rhubarb plant!

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam
(makes a just 1 pound)

4-5 stems, weighing roughly 1 lb (454g)
The same weight of sugar as rhubarb
1 small lemon, rind and juice
1/2 oz (15g) root ginger, bruised
1/2 oz (15g) stem ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon syrup from stem ginger jar

Wash the rhubarb and cut it into pieces roughly 1 inch (2.5cm) long. Layer the rhubarb in a non metallic bowl with the lemon rind and sugar then pour in the lemon juice. Cover the bowl and stand overnight. Tip the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan and add the root ginger, wrapped in a piece of muslin. Bring to the boil then simmer for a few minutes until the rhubarb is soft, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 5 to 10 minutes until the setting point is reached. Remove from the heat and discard the root ginger. Stir in the stem ginger and syrup. Ladle into warmed jars and seal immediately.