This easy rhubarb jam recipe uses orange for sweetness, so you can try something different than a standard (but still tasty!) strawberry rhubarb jam. It’s one of my oldest recipes and the first jam I ever made!
My Jam Story From 2013
When I moved last year, I left behind my rhubarb plants. My mistake didn’t occur to me until the following spring, when I craved rhubarb and there was none. I toyed with the idea of stealing my old plants in the middle of the night, knowing the new owners would never miss it, but my husband convinced me this was not a good plan. So, I planted another one in my new home, but little good it did me this year. Thank goodness for the farmers at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market, who have a bumper crop. I decided to make rhubarb jam for my first batch of jam, because in January, when life in Minnesota feels bleak and colorless, I will have something from the summer to make me happy.
It may come as a surprise to you that I have never made jam before. I have been in the presence of many friends and colleagues who have made jam, but I hid behind my camera. I’ve had the Blue Ribbon Queen of Preserves, Barb Schaller, take me by the hand and show me the ropes, but I was slow to follow, and that is how, all these years later, I’d never gotten around to making my own.
So when the Ball jar company wrote to me and asked if I’d participate in their CAN-IT-FORWARD event, I said YES. I knew if I didn’t do it now, it may never happen. They were willing to send me everything I’d need, and more, to make jam. No more excuses.
I am happy to tell you that it was WAY easier than I could have ever imagined! I simply followed the instructions in the Ball Blue Book for rhubarb-orange jam. Next time I will go my own way, but for my virgin run I wanted to do it exactly as they suggested and I wasn’t disappointed. Ok, maybe I added a bit more zest than they said, because I adore it, but that was my only modification. I’m hooked.
Rhubarb Jam Tips and Tricks
- This recipe uses a lot of sugar to balance out the flavors in the mixture, but it ends up with the perfect tangy flavor balancing sweet and sour.
- Always use clean jars when making jam!
- You can store the jam in your pantry before it’s opened, and in the refrigerator once opened.
- This jam is great on everything from toast to ice cream.
Orange Rhubarb Jam Recipe
See me make the recipe step by step here and find the full recipe at the bottom of this post!
In a large pot or saucepan (I finally got to use my gorgeous copper jam pot from Mauviel) cook the juice, rhubarb and zest until the rhubarb is tender. Add the pectin and let it come to a boil for 1 minute.
Add the sugar and bring back to a boil for another minute.
Prepare the jars and lids as the packaging suggests. I highly recommend that you read the Ball Blue Book and find out how to safely handle all the equipment. Maybe it was all of the food safety classes I had to take in culinary school, but I find it all rather interesting and essential to understand.
HINT: You will want to get yourself some of those handy jar lifters, to get the boiling hot jars out of the water. I did it with regular tongs and wish I hadn’t.
Fill the jars, clean the rim and put the lids on.
HINT: having a funnel would have made this way easier and cleaner, but my ladle did a pretty good job.
Lower the jars into the canning pot. Cover and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the water before removing.
Let the jars sit at room temperature until cool, don’t test the tops, they will make a popping sound as they cool.
Label your rhubarb-orange jam so that you will remember what you’ve created after a few months in the pantry.
If you like this recipe, you must try the most gorgeous canned blueberries on earth, by Suvir Saran!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs rhubarb sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 oranges, juiced (should be 1 cup – add water if needed) Then remove the peel of just one of the oranges. Cut away the bitter pith and slice it into small ribbons. I used twice as much orange zest as the recipe called for.
- 6 tbsp Ball pectin
- 6 cups sugar
Instructions
- In a large pot (I used a copper jam pot from Mauviel) cook the juice, rhubarb and zest until the rhubarb is tender. Add the pectin and let it come to a boil for 1 minute. Add the sugar and bring back to a boil for another minute.
- Prepare the jars and lids as the packaging suggests. I highly recommend that you read the Ball Blue Book and find out how to safely handle all the equipment. Maybe it was all of the food safety classes I had to take in culinary school, but I find it all rather interesting and essential to understand. You will want to get yourself some handy jar lifters, to get the boiling hot jars out of the water. I did it with regular tongs and wish I hadn't.
- Fill the jars, clean the rim and put the lids on. Having a funnel would have made this way easier and cleaner, but my ladle did a pretty good job.
- Lower the jars into the canning pot. Cover and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the water before removing.
- Let the jars sit at room temperature until cool, don't test the tops, they will make a popping sound as they cool. Label your rhubarb-orange jam so that you will remember what you've created after a few months in the pantry.
My most memorable canning experience was helping some friends can some apple sauce. Most of the jars we used were of the recycled variety and only a few were actual canning jars. It was so sad to watch 5 of the first 6 jars jars we put in the hot water bath break making apple sauce soup. A good lesson was learned that day!
My mother-in-law always made this terrific chili sauce. We loved it and ate it but never had the recipe–We live in NJ and she lived in Michigan. After she died, we thought we would never have the terrific chili sauce again. Luckily, I was looking through one of the cookbook at her home and found the magazine clipping for the chili sauce stuck in the cookbook. That year was the first time I ever canned anything. Quite an experience! I have been lax for a number of year–only doing freezer jam–which didn’t gel right. So your posting is making me think that I better stop by the farm stand for a lot of tomatoes for the chili sauce. Thanks for the bringing back the memories!
I would like to try making applesauce this fall!
I’ve watched (and helped) my mom for years, sometimes hundreds of jars of veg and jams; but now I’m 1500 miles away and on my own! I’ve made dilly beans (yum), but would love to make some plain Jane strawberry jam for my boys. And elderberry jam for me!
Chokecherry jelly and huckleberry jam! The chokecherry bushes are overloaded, and I need to go pick my share of both berries before the bears get to them.
The only canning experience Ive had was a horrible and expensive disaster. I found a recipe for peach jam and said ,”Why not?” . The jars never ‘”pinged”! I tried re-canning but I just couldn’t get it right. I really want to try again.
I had grew up in a canning communittee and never truly learned how to do it myself. So last year I made it a mission to figure it out and bought the Ball canning book and went for it. I made tomato marmalade and spiced honey peaches, both of which were awesome! I also tried some different pickle recipes. Canning has become my creative meditation. Although it is work, it produces such a great reward!
Strawberry Rhubarb-it is a favourite of mine. I do have a jar of mango coconut that I purchased in France that I love.
PS I love your copper pot.
If I have too much cherry tomatoes, I am thinking of making tomato jam! If I win, this will be a great help.
I love peach jam, and it is a good year for produce this year. My grandma used to let me help her can – great memory!!
I first canned this summer with a friend of mine. I was always terrified of canning but, we ended up with a lot of loquats this year, and I wanted to make jam. The loquat jam was wonderful and my friend (an expert canner) made the entire process really fun. I can’t wait to can more 🙂
I have only made plum butter. But jam has escaped me thus far in my life.
It is my hope to make blueberry jam with a hint of ginger.
I am grateful for a company that still makes product in the USA p.
Thank you Ball Co.
Apple season is coming, so applesauce, apple butter, apple jelly!
I love blueberry jam and blueberries seem to be on sale right now….although I really want to can some of this amazing summer fruit as pie filling for the winter!
I’d love to make some pie fillings-apple, cherry, peach, and more!
My favorite jam of all time is crab apple, but I like to strawberry-rhubarb jam. We use the rhubarb patch that is older than I am for the best rhubarb this side of the Mississippi. And then we found an organic strawberry patch this year. Yummy. It turned out this year, but was quite disappointed with the previous years batch.
This looks wonderful. I’m itching to make some plum jam. The pantry’s getting low!
i’d make blueberry jam
I would love to make Raspberry Jam!
I am looking forward to trying to make some new jellies this year with rose hips. my fireweed jelly turned out very nice
I make cranberry jelly all through the year. When fresh cranberries are available in the fall I make/can a few cases of jelly. Some I give as presents at Christmas. I also freeze enough fresh berries to make sure that I will be able to have homemade cranberry jelly until the next harvest.
This will be only my second season canning so I am quite the newbie. My parents never did it so I have to kind of “wing-it”. Sure is nice to have the internet, especially Pinterest. I planted a grape vine a couple of years ago and this year will be my first harvest. I plan on making my own Concord Grape Jelly and am pretty excited about it!
Congrats on your first jam canning project. I haven’t actually given it a try yet, but I’ve been reading lots of articles to learn as much as I can. I’d really like to give it a try.
I have the best glass canning funnel, inherited it from my gram, and everyone should invest in one of these! My best canning event occurred last year while teaching my 15 yr old daughter the ropes. A pint jar of raspberry jam slipped out of my, landed squarely on the floor, creating an enormous volcanoe effect and spewing deep red jam all over us and the kitchen! In retrospect, I should have sprayed with a garden hose to clean up that mess. Every single jar opened and given way over the past year elicited fits of laughter with the accompanying story.
I have never canned, but I would love to try raspberry preserves!