Pectin-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I had 2/3 the amount of fruit called for -- 6 total cups of fruit: 3 C of rhubarb and 3 cups of strawberry -- so I used 2/3 the sugar called for. The recipe divided evenly to 4 Cups of sugar with perfect end-results . I soaked the rhubarb in one Cup of sugar overnight, then added 3 more the next morning and let it sit another hour, stirring 3 Xs. I tossed in the strawberries, freshly cut and NOT pre-soaked in sugar, which gave the starwberries a bit more voice in the mix, and also gave an 'almost' preservre-like density to my jam, which I think is ideal. As a tweak, I added 1/4 cup blueberry that was past baking quality. They were a bit fridge-dried so I also soaked these in 1/4 Cup of sugar, over might. They plumped into a 1/2 Cup of lovely, not over-shouting blueberries, that gave a scosh more sweetness and a deeper color to the final product. My end-result was the most 'regal' strawberry-rhubarb jam, ever - Devine inspiration in a container of slightly dreid up blueberries! I winged the lemon, juice, adding probably 1/4 Cup., and cooked the jam mixture at a low rolling boil for a bit onger than suggested - about 40 minutes - and it passed the 'line on a plate' test beautifully. My ingredient volumes, reduced into a jam, filled 5 8-oz jars, and this morning, my delicious tart and sweet jam had a medium-hard set to it, that my 2 teenagers self-served without making a mess (score); and they both headed out the door with a second piece of toast in-hand. That's a SCORE!

I'm definitely giving this recipe a 5 stars! I did make changes after reading reviews. I personally like a more tart jam, so I made changes to my likening. I used 6 cups chopped rhubarb, 3 cups mashed strawberries, 5 cups of sugar. It turned out perfect to my preference. Do not give a low rating if you do not let it boil and reach 220 degrees!! Mine se perfectly! Thank You, yankeeinthesouth for sharing! This recipe being saved for generations to come!

Okay first off you really should be weighing the fruit. 1 cup can really vary depending on how large your rhubarb and strawberries are to begin with and also what size you cut them to. Second, considering that this recipe does not call for pectin, 6 cups is way too much sugar. Made this once as written and would rate it 3 stars...edible, too sweet and a bit loose. Made it again with modifications for a 5 star strawberry rhubarb jam. My modifications: used 1 1/2 lbs each srawberries and rhubarb (was about 5 cups each for me); used 2 1/2 cups sugar; used 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of line juice; mixed the fruit and sugar and refrigerated overnight; then I strained the fruit and reduced the sugar and liquids before adding the fruit to the pot; after about 20 minutes of simmering I used a stick blender to puree the chunks out to be more suited for my kiddos tastes; then simmered for a bit longer tI'll it was nice and thick; then added the lemon and lime juice and processed 10 minutes. My recipe yielded 4 almost 5 half pint (8oz) jars, about 30 oz total, because I used 3 1/2 cups (28oz) less sugar.

A tad too sweet for me, and when the recipe says "stir frequently" it should say "stir CONSTANTLY." The mix cooked onto the bottom in the time it took me to attach the thermometer to the pot. Still, now I know and next time I will add a little more rhubarb and I think it will be perfect!

Great recipe! I am new at canning but this recipe was really good. Took some to work and everyone loved it. I work in a nursing home and they all told me it was perfect!

easy, sets well, used 1 cup less sugar than listed. excellent taste. will use again

It's nice to see a real jam recipe without boxed pectin or even worse, Jello!

I used 1 cup less sugar and boiled it for 45 minutes. It turned out perfect. My mom loved it so much I gave her a pint and plan to make more tomorrow!

I made this yesterday and followed the directions exactly . Wow that's a lot of sugar but I figured that sinceyou eat so little at a time it would be okay . The flavor is incredible BUT the consistency is more of a sauce than a jam. For that reason I am a little disappointed. Looks like I'll need to make a 7-up pound cake to drizzle it over. For JAMS - it's back to the pectin way for me .

Oh so yummy! This is my 2nd year (2017) using this recipe. I made this jam exactly as the recipe states. A little time consuming compared to my raspberry jam, but totally worth it! Rhubarb is from the garden (of a friend), strawberries are from the store. We were down to our last jar from last year and hubby was going into panic mode! Lol. We have never been able to find a store bought one that was better than mediocre. I like that it does not require pectin. This is my go-to recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Jam! Thank you! UPDATE!!!! 2018!!! Finally, I have been able to grow my own rhubarb! Took 3 years to be able to harvset, but so worth the wait! Just finished up another batch. Just as good this year and the rhubarb (at least) is organic! Love the sound of my jars pinging!!!

Follow this recipe and you won't be disappointed! Great flavours and sets up very well. Thank you for sharing. 2014 2016. Fast forward 2 years and this recipe is still a winner!

I had about 8 lbs of rhubarb and 6 lbs of strawberries so I made this the other day while making pies. It is one of the best jams I've ever made and it was so easy. I love no added pectin recipes. I did add the strawberries at the beginning and let it sit all night. Finished it up the next morning.

I am making my second batch of this wonderful jam. Be prepared for it to be consumed quickly.

I made this it was wonderful I also changed it to include raspberries by using only 2 and a 1/2 cups rubarb and 2 and a 1/2 cups raspberries and 4 and a 1/2 cups strawberries this was so good all the fruit was fresh out of my garden and frozen till I had time to make it for Thanksgiving and canned the rest the photo was taken after I was finished

I have made three batches of this so far this spring and each one has been perfect. I love that it is pectin-free and allows experimentation with the fruit-sugar ratio. I think I will try some of the suggestions here for adding different fruits to the mix. I belong to a food swap group and jars of this are going to be very much in demand!

Like most other people, Yes I made changes. I used 1 cup of sugar. 4 cups Rhubarb & Strawberries. brought to a boil. washed jars, soaked lids in hot water, I used to boil bath everything. I don't remember where I learned to steam Bath instead, but it works the same. put an inch of water in the canner, bring to a boil,[ steam ]. for 15 to 20 min. Done. for several years I never had a jar not seal with steam bath. no pressure canner, like Mom did 40 years ago.

Excellent recipe! I will make this over and over. I may add maybe 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup more rhubarb as the flavor wasn't quite as tart enough. I keep sneaking spoonfuls of this out of the fridge. VERY VERY good and tasty! Couldn't get picture to upload. Bummer

I followed the recipe except using 2 lemons, which yielded 1/3 cup of lemon juice. I decreased the sugar to 5 cups. I was only able to can 5 full 1/2 pint jars. And a 1/2 jar. I had expected to can maybe 8 jars due to the decrease of 1 cup of sugar. It's still a tad too sweet for me. But a wonderful recipe where pectin was not needed. I also threw in some nutmeg. The color is beautiful. Next time, I'll double the batch and add more rhubarb.

I followed this with a bit of a twist to add some 'bite'. I used the above amount of rhubarb and strawberries, but added 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of blackberries to the mix. Also, instead of using the full amount of sugar I removed 1/2 and only used 3 cups of sugar. To compensate for sweetness I added 2/3 cup of maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Then to thicken it up and add more substance, I mixed in 1/2 package of strawberry jello powder. Now the consistency is more like jelly than jam (which is what I was looking for). Great recipe and very adaptable.

Turned out perfect. Followed the directions exactly.

I just finished making this, first time jam maker and canner! It was simple to follow. I let the rhubarb sit overnight in the 6 cups of sugar so it was really easy to cook without sticking to the bottom of the pot the next day. I had to lick the spatula! It is sooo tasty! Keeping my fingers crossed my jars seal!

I really like this Jam, but it was too sweet for me, next time I will try using 5 cups of sugar instead. Otherwise it was easy to make and had a nice texture.

I used 5 cups of sugar instead

I make several kinds of jam every year and I never use pectin. I followed this exactly and it turned out so thick it was like tar! Kind of a bummer since its quite a bit of work to make any jam. Not sure what I did. Maybe over cooked it?

Amazing!! Never canned before and put this one together without any problems. I used just 4 cups of sugar, and it turned out a little tart, but I love it. Amount produced was a bit off - I doubled the recipe and filled just 13 8oz jars.

Great texture and taste, oh, and color!

Delicious and perfect. I did use half pint jars instead.

Super easy and came out great! Just don't forget to sanitize your jars before starting your jam!

This is very rich, thick, chunky (but not too "jelly-like",) a perfect texture. This is literally my favorite jam/jelly/preserves recipe. I know that the stirring is time consuming and the whole canning process is a lot of work but if you make a double, triple, etc. batch it is sooo worth it! Mmm mmm mmm!

Amazing!

I made this following the instructions except cutting sugar back to 2 1/4 cups. It was still waaaay to sweet for me, so, using ideas from other reviews, reheated the jam and added 3 T lemon juice, 2 T water, 1 1/2 cups cut up fresh strawberries, and cooked another 2 cups of rhubarb. I melted the original jam and added the new items. It set beautifully and now tastes perfect for my family. Very forgiving recipe and nice that everyone can adapt it to their preferred taste!

We made a double batch and are going to process as freezer jam so we'll let you know how it turns out as far as gelling but it tastes absolutely fantastic!!

Very easy

This came out great. Next time I will probably increase the proportion of rhubarb to strawberries. My wife thought it was just strawberry jam. I added zest of a lemon this time and that added some good brightness. It doesn't get perfectly jelled (at least for me it didn't), but it's just right IMHO.

Great recipe! I used 2/3 the amount of sugar and added a cinnamon stick while cooking the mix. It came out delicious!

Worked very well; Set as instructed. I added raspberries for 1/3 of strawberries- made 3 batches. Tasted delicious.

I made this last spring and loved it. When I made my second batch I only used 2 cups of sugar and it was still great. I'm making again this year.. Love it!!!

I did exactly as called. Loved it, and so did the rest of the family.

Great taste.

Halved recipe and didn't can, just put in 3 plastic cups. Jam was very thick, but mixed in a little water into the cup next day and it seemed fine.

Substituted blackberries for the strawberries and it turned out excellent!

Great recipe, I went to the reviews and went with 5 cups of sugar and 6 cups of rhubarb. Stirred it constantly to eliminate potential burning to bottom of pot. My youngest is a lover of all things jam and gave this a thumbs up. Would like to try with a little less sugar, just not sure if it changes the shelf life if I do?

I read other reviews and did what several suggested which was to have the rhubarb and strawberries sit overnight with the sugar added. In the morning when it was time to start the sugar was all dissolved. This is a fantastic recipe and one we will make again next year.

Yummy! I've made this recipe for the last 3 years when I have more rhubarb than I know what to do with. As suggested by other reviews, if you want to use less sugar (which I do), boil it longer. My son hates "chunks", so I puree the rhubarb after the 2 hours and the strawberries before I add them. Excellent recipe!

I found the jam to be sweet. I only added 3 cup white sugar and less than 1 cup Splenda. I ran out of regular sugar. The overall look was professional grade but I found it tasted more like just strawberry jam - a very yummy strawberry jam. I also only got 4 pint size jars full of the jam. I liked this recipe because measurements were in cups and not pounds and there was no pectin. If I make it again, I will use more of the rhubarb and less of the strawberries. Thank you!

Turned out great! So simple!

cut back on sugar a bit. Cooked for approximately 30 minutes. One of my most favourite recipes!

Always a learning experience. For some reason it only made slightly more than 1/2 the amount it said it would. Not sure what I did wrong. Will cut the sugar back next time. Good flavour. Thank you!

Beautiful color and flavor, but much too sweet for my liking. I will try this one again with much less sugar.

Easy to make lots of flavour

I use this recipe base for all my jams. It has become my secret recipe! I use about 8 cups of fruit approx 4 cups of sugar, lemon juice and a bit of butter to take out the foam. I have made raspberry , strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, strawberry apple, and blackberry peach jam without fail year after year. Great recipe. Thank you so much

My first time canning and I used this recipe as a guideline, but I did make one small tweak after reading reviews. I used 1 cup less sugar than the recipe called for - it was still too sweet and not tart enough, but consistency came out PERFECT (I cooked it longer than intended, but it worked out great - when you think it's too thick while it's hot, it'll come out just right when it's cooled). I will say, while it turned out great, I don't think it tasted any different from the sugar-loaded Smuckers brand you can get at the store. So, instead of using it as a spread, I used it to flavor lemonades, punches, and alcoholic beverages. I got raving reviews for my homemade concoctions, so I think I'd do it again. However, for use as a spread, next time I'd do 2-3 cups less sugar and half the amount of strawberries to rhubarb to get more of the tart taste.

I cut the sugar back to 4.5 Cups and increased the lemon juice slightly. Delicious! Would make again.

Omitted the lemon juice and also added chia seeds. Very good, a little thin but still good.

It tastes good but I ended up having to add pectin to it as it was too runny. That was after it had sat for 2 days in jars. Now it's good!

I really liked it, but I did cut out some of the sugar, and if the berries are really tasty, I would omit even more. I even added a little more lemon juice and threw the lemon rinds in with the fruit as it cooked. But even though there were some minor adjustments, I still thought it was delicious!

this recipe has the perfect sweet to tart balance! the intensity of the flavor will depend on the quality of your fruit, I used homegrown rhubarb and purchased strawberries that i let ripen for a few days. Best jam i've ever made.

Also added a few blueberries, and extra strawberries because I had them. Love the sweet-tart combo. Easy-peasy!!

Reduce the amount of foam by adding 1 tsp butter to the fruit before it comes to a boil. Great recipe. Super funny that people complaint that jam is too sweet. Or they reduce the sugar and then complain the jam is runny. Silly cooks!

Great recipe. I have always used pectin in my jams and jellies, but this year I am trying all my jams without pectin and noticed that the flavour is more intense and I love the hint of lemon. The only change was to reduce the sugar by 1 cup and found it sweet enough. I am making a second batch because I didn't get enough jars. 2-11/4 pints and a 1 half pint. Letting the rhubarb and sugar sit for 2 hours I think is the trick. Cooked it 25 minutes to get the consistency that I wanted.

First attempt making fruit preserve. Came out a bit more runny than I expected. Flavor was superb. Thickened after being refrigerated. Will try some more, hopefully finding a thicker preserve.

chose not to do all the boiling of the cans because we don't plan to keep it that long. Delicious!

This was an amazing and easy recipe. My family loved it. I did however cut down on the amount of sugar used. I cut it down to half the amount. You can not go wrong with this recipe!!!!

I made my own changes. More rhubarb than strawberries and one batch with 3 cups sugar and the other with 2. I really like it tart! I wonder what the lemon is for, does it add to the tartness?

Didn’t change the ingredients, but cooking time was much longer than the recipe’s instructions by about 15-20 minutes. Great taste!

I followed this recipe almost exactly and it turned out ok. I did cut down the sugar by a cup and it could be cut down further but I didn't know if it would set up enough since there's no pectin. I had the mixture boiling and boiling but never did get the temp of 220 degrees. The mixture really reduced quite a bit. I thought I wasn't going to have any jam in the end. I used pint jars and only got 3 1/2 pints. According to this recipe I should have gotten 5 pints(using the 20 - 4 oz figure given). So I was disappointed in the small amount I got from all the work and cooking I put into it. Good flavor and texture ended up being how I prefer - not too thin, not too thick. However, not sure I'll do this recipe again.

I didn’t have quite enough strawberries so I added Saskatoon berries. I cooked for 25 minutes and that worked well for me. Not runny at all. It made five 1 pint jars.

As many others stated 6 cups of sugar seemed like a lot... so I cut it back to 5. Next round I will reduce to 4 ... this is a very sweet jam ... but delicious! I also upper the lemon juice to half a cup and added the lemon zest - waste not want not. I found two pounds of each worked out to about the recommended measurements of each, based on personal preference I will reduce strawberries next round and opt for more rhubarb. Overall an excellent recipe!

Excellent! Only change that I made was used half the sugar and lemon juice amount. Still turned out sweet and delicious!

Too sweet and very runny...

Just made this. Awesome! I did cook a little longer to let it reduce. Will make again.

I always follow a recipe the first time ,very easy to make and I can a lot. I may cut the sugar a bit next time depending on sweetness of the fruit. I liked the no pectin aspect.

Absolutely loved it. Thank you

Just like my grandmother used to make however I don’t like it quite as sweet. I cut the recipe in half and used 2 c of sugar instead of 3. YUMMY

Here’s the correct link I found helpful for knowing when it’s done:, particulately above sea level: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/jam_without_pectin.html Also I found if you double this, it just barely fits into my large pasta pot. I used 3:2 rhubarb: berries for several summers now and I love this recipe. Also I cut sugar to 5c. Thanks!!! Bonus: skim off enough foam to fill 2 shot glasses. Add to 1 shot gin with sparkling water and lots of ice. Cheers!

Used one less cup of sugar, otherwise followed recipe exactly. It took about 45-50 minutes to reach 220F. Tastes amazing and set up perfectly!

I substituted strawberries with blackberries. it still tastes great.

I made a lower sugar version , useing the natural sugar from the berries , it was very good.

I used 5 cups of sugar (as recommended by some other reviewers) and also added a few more strawberries than called for. Used blender to chop it up better, as we don't prefer chunky jam. Also skipped the bath and instead filled the jars and turned upside down for 5 min to seal them. Worked wonderfully. We ate the next day and it is on the runnier side but still has some thickness to it. We prefer it that way to use it on pancakes and ice cream as well. I personally liked it, but felt it could have more tartness-- next time I will add more rhubarb than berries and see how that turns out.

This was way too much sugar and I love sugar! It never got thick enough. I had to add pectin.

I have made this recipe for several years now. I don't like a lot of sugar, so I just use 2 cups. That usually results in 4 to 5 250 ml jars.