Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Alternative title: How to Create Highly Addictive Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt at Home

This is a post about jam. And canning (and not canning). And yogurt. If you have any interest in any of the above, read on.

I would love to tell you that I learned jam making at my grandmother's side, starting at an age where I could barely reach the counter, her kind sweet voice sharing her kitchen secrets as we both wore aprons and sunlight streamed in through the farmhouse window...but nope, none of that happened. Instead, when I was in my mid-20s and wanted to know how to make my own rhubarb jam, I bought a box of Sure Jell (a fruit pectin, the stuff that makes jam thick) and a bunch of canning jars and started there. The instructions that come with the pectin are detailed, and although the sugar content in their recipes is pretty high, it's a place to start to feel comfortable with canning. If you are a first time jam maker and you want to learn how to can, here's my suggestion:

1) Go buy a box of Sure Jell.

2) Read the instructions are proceed from there. For strawberry rhubarb jam, which isn't on the instructions,  follow the rhubarb jam recipe, substituting 2 cups of strawberries for 2 cups of rhubarb. I know they say no substitutions somewhere on there, but I promise your kitchen won't explode.

That being said, there are a few things to know:

1) You don't have to can jam. If canning freaks you out, small batches of jam kept in the fridge is a beautiful thing. You can even cheat and keep it refrigerated in a mason jar so people think you canned it.

2) The recipe that follows is for a batch of jam that I intentionally wanted a little bit saucy and soft, not the thick goopy kind you'll get by adding pectin. Granted, I've heard you can get goopy jam without pectin, but it's a trick I have not yet mastered.

So why would I want a softer jam? Because I'm slightly addicted to this stuff:

Noosa strawberry rhubarb yogurt. If you've ever been to Europe, you know that European yogurt is, generally speaking, far superior to ours, and Noosa is the closest thing I've found in the States to the creamy, rich-but-not-too-rich, sweet-but-not-too-sweet yogurt I remember from my travels in Switzerland and Spain. It saddens me a little bit to know that many stock their fridge with countless cartons of fat-free, artificially sweetened, artificially colored Yoplait, thinking these as a "healthy" snack. Nothing against Yoplait, but it's not delicious.

In my pursuit of deliciousness, I made this jam to replicate Noosa, knowing that it will still also work wonderfully on toast, mixed in oatmeal, in sandwiches, etc. I stored half in the fridge, planning to take some to an ice cream party and some for my own breakfast wonderment, and canned the remainder.

But what about the yogurt? I found that I can get close to the mild slightly sweet Noosa yogurt base mixing half plain low fat yogurt and half Greek Gods Honey Yogurt. Then spoon some of this jam over the top...it's not exactly Noosa, but it's dang good.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

1.5 lbs rhubarb, chopped
1 lb. strawberries, sliced (or halved, if small)
4 and 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 2 lemons

Place all ingredients in a large pot, stirring to coat fruit in sugar. Let sit 1-2 hours to allow the fruit to macerate and release juices.

Heat the mixture over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil, uncovered, about 15-20 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently and then stirring constantly as it thickens. Beware of too high of heat, as jam can burn - I've found I can get a good boil staying at medium heat on my stove.

How do you know if the jam is done? I do what is called the sheet test, which is dipping a spoon in the jam and letting it run off. If it runs off the spoon very liquidy and drippy and soupy, let it cook longer. If the jam is coating the spoon and starting to goop together and run off more thickly, like a sheet, then it's done.

Take the jam off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Skim off any foam residue that may have appeared. If you are canning, proceed with canning, or store jam in the fridge for up to a month.