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.
did you use dry or liquid pectin?
Tasty Stuff!
This rhubarb-orange jam sounds great! I think it would be a great summertime treat. Thanks for the recipe.
I would make blueberry jam for my son
My most memorable canning story happened many, many years ago. A friend and I used to can together, and did so for a few years in a row.
One of the things we’d can was salsa, using fresh jalepenos. Back then I didn’t know about needing to use gloves when cutting them up, so I used bare hands. Needless to say, I burned my hands and was in agony. They were so painful, I thought I’d need to go to the Emergency Room. Instead, I called a nurse’s line and was told to try soaking my hands in milk. That did the trick. I don’t find the need to chop up jalepenos too often, but if I do, I certainly use gloves, now.
I have a cake rack, snipped at some junctions, that I shove in the bottom of my canning pot. The polypropylene rack is incredible! I would love to use it as I make my blackberry-poblano or peach-habenero jams.
Please don’t enter me to win, as I already won this at another site (woo-hoo!). However in addition to commenting on how yummy this sounds (I am pinning it for sure) I wanted to commiserate about the rhubarb. First, to my mother’s horror, I tore out a plant at a previous residence because it was in the backyard where the kids and dogs played and I was terrified they would eat the leaves. Then, since moving, I have planted several and none have taken. I think rhubarb gods have made it clear they did not appreciate me removing it lol.
I would can applesauce! Haven’t done it since I was a kid.