Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (No Pectin)

A very aromatic and easy-to-make strawberry rhubarb jam without pectin, one of the best jam recipes you can make this summer.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam without Pectin

This strawberry rhubarb jam recipe is very simple. A classic, sweet and aromatic rhubarb and strawberry jam that will make everyone happy. No chia seeds, sugar substitutes, or anything fancy, just plain old jam with only fruit and sugar.

While I do like the new ways of making Sugar-Free Jam with Rhubarb (it does feel good when you know you’re eating healthier), I do like the real stuff as well. And my children definitely like the classic preserves better than the new varieties. It’s understandable, they don’t care about being brave and eating less sugar, on the contrary, I would say).

This rhubarb strawberry jam without pectin is for you out there who like the jam to taste like your grandma’s used to do. This one does taste very much like my grandma’s, although she never used rhubarb for anything, except for the Rhubarb Meringue Cake.

But she did make a killer strawberry jam. Very sweet, but so aromatic that you sometimes just had to eat a teaspoonful of it without bread at all, just for the taste of it. My version is not quite as sweet as my grandma’s, the addition of rhubarb and lemons gives it a wonderful tart note.

 

Can you make jam without pectin?

You always need pectin to thicken jam or jelly. Normally the naturally occurring pectin in fruit is enough to make the preserves jelly.

What you will not need to make this jam is added pectin. Although both rhubarb and strawberries are very low in natural pectin, you will need no powdered pectin. What you will use to help the preserves thicken are an apple and a lemon. They are both rich in pectin and that will be enough to help with the jellying process. That and the longer cooking time.

How to make strawberry rhubarb jam?

• Chop the strawberries and the rhubarb.
• Wash the lemons, zest one of them, and juice both.
• Grate the apple.
• Place everything into a large pot together with the sugar.
• Boil until it thickens, about 50-60 minutes, but start checking after 30 minutes already.
• There will be quite a lot of foam forming during this time. Make sure you remove that properly during cooking and at the end. The preserves will not keep that long if you haven’t removed the foam before pouring them into the jars.

How to know how long to cook the jam?

The only problem that might arise when making jam is deciding when the jam has thickened enough. If you don’t boil it long enough it will be too runny. But if you boil it for too long it will harden in the jars. I once managed to cook a cherry jam so long that I could not get it out of the jars anymore… I had to throw everything away, jam and jars…

However, after making lots of jam during the last ten years or so, I learned to tell when it has cooked long enough.

The cooking time depends a lot on how much of it you are making, on how big your pot is and how much pectin the fruit contains.

In the case of this strawberry rhubarb jam, you should already start checking after 30 minutes. I normally have an eye for it, I scoop some juice on a spoon and check how the drops are falling down from it.

• If that happens quickly, the preserves need more time.
• If the drops take a moment to form, kind of come together, fall down slowly, and seem to be thick enough, stop the cooking process.

This method is maybe not very appropriate for an inexperienced eye (it doesn’t always work for me either). For better results you should try to:

Check using a frozen plate

• Place a small plate in the freezer at the beginning of the cooking time.
• Check the consistency by dropping a few drops of juice on the plate.
• Put the plate back in the freezer and check again after 1 minute.
• Run a finger through the middle of the puddle on the plate. If the trail remains then the jam is ready and you should stop the cooking process.

While the jam is cooking prepare the jars. Sterilize both jars and their lids. Once the jam is ready, transfer it to the sterilized jars. Can the jars if you wish. You can do that in a canner or in a hot water bath.

MORE JAM RECIPES?

• Lemon and Clementine Jelly
• Blood Orange Jam
• Rhubarb Raspberry Jam, Lower Sugar
• Red Currant Jam
• Watermelon Jam