Rhubarb + Zest Jam is a low-sugar cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener. Connie, our founder, created this recipe after picking both green rhubarb and ruby rhubarb from her backyard plants. The addition of orange zest, lemon zest, and grated ginger root made for a lively taste!
Servings 5cups
Ingredients
4cupscooked rhubarbabout 2½ lbs rhubarb stalks
2Tablespoonslemon juicebottled
2teaspoonscalcium watersee step #1
3teaspoonsfinely grated orange zest
1teaspoonfinely grated lemon zest
4teaspoonsfinely grated ginger root
2cupssugar
3teaspoonsPomona’s Pectinmixed with sweetener
Instructions
Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
Wash and trim rhubarb stalks. Cut into ½ inch pieces. Put in saucepan, add a little water, and simmer until soft.
Measure 4 cups cooked fruit back into saucepan.
Add calcium water, lemon juice, orange zest, lemon zest, and grated ginger, and mix well.
Measure sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.