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Low sugar strawberry rhubarb jam – perfect for topping your toast, adding into yogurt bowls or enjoying on biscuits!
I’ve made this jam twice now and both times my mind has been filled with great memories of my grandma. It’s not that this is her recipe or that I remember cooking a particular recipe with her. It’s more of her stance on cooking – making meals healthier. I vividly remember my dad telling me about her pies made with barely any sugar and whole grains in the crust…. which I don’t think he was too fond of. I love how she made healthy eating a norm for her family growing up. Homemade with real foods. She passed away a few years ago but I like to think that my cooking would have made her proud.
After two separate strawberry picking adventures I made jam. I knew I wanted to attempt a strawberry rhubarb jam, knowing that strawberry and rhubarb work so well together. I searched for a recipe low in sugar since I wanted the focus to be on the fruit and found this one. It’s pectin free as well and has a genius way of thicken up the jam for a soft set. It’s not super set up like store bough jelly, but is also not runny and syrup like. It’s pretty perfect in my opinion.
Low sugar strawberry rhubarb jam
The jam is not overly sugary but has sweet notes come through from the strawberry and a slight tang from the rhubarb and lemon juice. Perfectly balanced in my opinion.
If you love jams that aren’t overly sweet, do check out my easy strawberry chia jam too!
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Low Sugar Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (Canned)
Ingredients
- 4.5 cups fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4.5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Place rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the juices are released and begin to cover the fruit. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate the fruit from the juices. Set the fruit aside.
- Return the the juices to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by approximately half (an easy way to check this is to use the handle of a wooden spoon. Dip it into the liquid to “stain” it. Then use that as a measuring guide for how much it’s cooking down). Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, as you go.
- Add the fruit back to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. Stir in lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until a spoonful of the mixture mounds on a frozen plate without spreading. Once ready, you can pack it into jars, or tupperware, and freeze. Or, follow the process below for canning.
To can
- While jam is cooking, sterilize 5, ½ pint jars along with lids. Fill the jars to within ¼ inch of the top with jam; wipe the rims, top with lids and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove jars from water bath and set on a kitchen towel to cool for 24 hours. Check for seals (you’ll hear a pop when it seals) before storing in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
It was my first canning of the season. I’m so glad it turned out well, I can’t wait to can all summer long!
What is your favorite kind of jam? Do you plan to can this summer? If so, then what?
XO
Heather
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