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 .
