Easy Rhubarb Jam

Growing up, it was always a treat to have a jar of my great-grandmother's jam in the fridge. Sadly, she passed away just as I was discovering my love for cooking & baking, and I never had the opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen with her. One of my cousins, who lived much closer to her, helped my Grammie make jam in her last years, and she shared the recipe with me after her death.

Due to the ingredients in the recipe, I'm sure this wasn't a jam she had been making since she was my age (I don't think Jello has been around that long!), although I know she made it my whole life & I will always think of her when I make it.

This is a very easy recipe - making a amateur canner feel a little better about attempting canning for the first time. I'm not sure that my Grammie water processed her jam - with lots of family nearby, I thinks she handed out all of the jars before she had an opportunity to store any. I, however, only make jam once a year & ration my jars so that I have enough to last until the next summer. (If my family is lucky, I share a few jars!)



EASY RHUBARB JAM
Makes 8-9 jars (8oz each)

7 cups finely chopped rhubarb (I've used fresh & frozen - both work equally well)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 can pie filling
1 (6oz) box jello (or 2 - 3oz boxes)

Bring rhubarb, sugar & pie filling to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from fire & add jello.

Carefully pour the jam into jars & water process to seal.

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Favorite Flavor Options:

Strawberry pie filling, strawberry jello
Raspberry pie filling, raspberry jello
Blueberry pie filling, raspberry jello (I tried Blackberry Fusion this time - also an excellent choice!)

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To water process the jars/jam:

While making the jam, have a canning pot full of water come to a boil. (Enough water to cover the jars). Place the lids & rims in a small saucepan of water - keep just below simmering.

Keep your jars in your dishwasher - on the heat dry or plate warmer cycle. (This keeps the jars warm & prevents breaking with the temperature changes.)

After you fill a jar with jam (to the bottom of the threads) place a lid on the jar, as well as a rim. Place filled jar in the canning pot & boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the boiling water, & sit on a cooling rack. Within a few minutes, you should hear the popping of the lids as they seal. Keep on the cooling racks until completely cool. Store in a cool place. (No need to be refrigerated).

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ENJOY!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I have to thank my mother-in-law for this pie. When I was home a week ago, she asked if I wanted her rhubarb - she didn't plan on using it & she knows how much I enjoy baking with it (and making my Great-Grandma's Jam, which I'm sure I'll be making soon!)

It's not too weird to get rhubarb & other garden goods from family, but not many people fly across the country with it! I'm sure the guys at security wondered why my carry on bag was over 1/2 full of rhubarb stalks! (That, and a wonderful new bundt cake pan that I can't wait to use! I'll also blog about that later...)

Between the wonderful rhubarb from my in-laws, and a large crate of strawberries from Costco, I knew I had to make a pie!

The flavor of this pie is wonderful! However, I don't think I baked it quite long enough as the bottom of the crust wasn't coming out of the pan as easily as I would have liked. Also, the filling was quite runny (which I know can happen from a fresh fruit filling) Either way, if you don't mind it in more of a crumble form in your dish, you'll love this pie!



STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE (Adapted from AllRecipes)
Makes 1 pie

1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.

In saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar & cornstarch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat down, and simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Turn off heat

Stir in strawberries & vanilla. Place filling in pie crust, and cover with top crust. Cut slits in crust if using a solid top crust.

Apply yolk to top of pie with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on rack.



DOUBLE PIE CRUST
Makes 2 single crusts or 1 double crust

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled & cut into pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup ice water

Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Add butter pieces & blend until just combined.

Slowly pour in cool water while processor is running - stop when dough forms crumbles.

Lightly knead dough until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk.

When rolling out dough - I use a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar instead of flour to prevent sticking - it prevents an overly "floury" taste to the dough and makes the dough a little sweeter.

ENJOY!