Last week I posted on the Guardian Organic Allotment blog and, though seemingly out of season berry-wise, wrote about planting blueberry bushes for jam. The recipe I included for rhubarb, blueberry and lime jam is a real favourite of mine, so to keep things in order and so’s regular readers don’t miss the recipe, I’m posting it here as well.
I only ever have small quantities of blueberries to play with but this recipe makes a little go a long way when used in combination with rhubarb and they add such a great colour to the jam. I buy up reduced priced punnets at the supermarket when I find them for a snip, up to their use by dates but still nice and fresh, then I freeze them to add to muffins, pancakes and jam. In summers to come, I hope to have a plentiful supply of my own berries, from the bushes I’ve just planted on my allotment. I’d much rather use ingredients that come from down the road rather than the other side of the planet. Well that’s the idea anyways.
RHUBARB, BLUEBERRY AND LIME JAM
Makes 1.25kg (2 3/4lbs)
600g (1lb 6oz) rhubarb
300g (3/4 lb) blueberries
2 limes, the zest and juice
700g (1lb 8oz) sugar
Wash rhubarb, top and tail then chop into evenly sized pieces (I usually run a knife down the middle of the stalks then chop into roughly 1cm sized pieces). Place in a glass bowl and pour the sugar over the top. Cover with a plate or cling film and leave overnight, by which time the sugar will have soaked up the juice from the rhubarb.
Place the grated lime zest and blueberries in a pan, adding 3 Tblsp of lime juice. Heat gently and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on, until the berries are cooked and surrounded by juice.
Prepare your canning bath and jars if planning to hot water process your jam, or put clean jars and lids in a cool oven for 20 minutes to heat and sterilise them.
Pour the rhubarb and sugar into a jam pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the blueberries and lime, turn up the heat and cook at a rolling boil until setting point is reached (a small dollop of the syrup on a cold plate will readily form a skin when left to cool slightly). It took me 10 minutes to achieve this and I advise that you keep an eye on it and give the occasional stir whilst it cooks as the mixture is apt to burn if youโre not careful. Skim if necessary. Pour into hot sterilised jars, put a circle of waxed paper on the surface of each one and seal. Alternatively, pour into hot canning jars leaving the correct headroom for your type of jars, seal and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.
This jam has a nice soft set that suits me fine. If you prefer your jam to โcutโ rather than dollop substitute all or half of the sugar with preserving sugar that includes added pectin.
Oh that sounds like a good one, but I too prefer to use own grown produce and we lost our blueberries to birds last year. Still waiting for allotment neighbour to give us some rhubarb. Chief Digger refuses to buy any on the basis that “there’s always someone trying to give us rhubarb..” …eeerrh yeah right, that’s why I’ve still not got any is it?!
Comment by Mustard Seed 03.01.11 @ 1:48 pmI just adore this empty jar image. A sign that this jam must be very good?
Comment by Denise | Chez Danisse 03.01.11 @ 6:26 pmYour rhubarb lime jam is awesome all by itself but the addition of blueberries? I am so trying this! We planted blueberries last year as well.
Comment by Rebecca 03.01.11 @ 8:36 pmi couldn’t think of a more useful jam for me – meaning each year I am loaded with both blueberries and rhubarb. I normally do blueberry lime marmalade, but I must try the addition of rhubarb! and the color is ravishing!
Comment by tigress 03.02.11 @ 6:00 amI have frozen berries..does that make a difference in making jams?
Comment by Brenda Morton 03.04.11 @ 3:23 amMy blueberries were frozen when I tested my recipe and it worked out fine. Freezing fruit can affect the pectin, the stuff required to help your jam form a good set but that will also be affected by the ripeness or under ripeness of the fruit before freezing. Neither blueberries or rhubarb are high in pectin but the consistency of this jam works fine for me. If you like a thicker set then you can boost the pectin with special jam sugar that has pectin added to it.
Comment by laundryetc 03.04.11 @ 9:22 amThanks for the info..do you have to thaw the berries before you proceed?
Comment by Brenda Morton 03.05.11 @ 1:39 amBlueberries thaw very quickly anyway. If your frozen berries are stuck together in a big lump, it might be worth breaking them up a bit first. Otherwise just use them from frozen.
Comment by Gloria 03.05.11 @ 11:48 amI just love your recipes and your photos! This looks like another one we’re going to have to try. We’ve never preserved anything with rhubarb and it’s something we’d like to try.
Comment by The Turnbulls 03.08.11 @ 2:33 pmHave just discovered your fantastic blog, and have bought the ingredients to make this. Keep the recipes coming, fantastic ๐
Comment by sally selwood 03.09.11 @ 4:37 pmHmm. You hardly seem to have “gone off the rails”; you seem to be hard at it. I’m most jealous of your getting to the Marmalade Festival; our own local equivalent is still a comparatively junior affair.
Re: antique jars: shall I mail you a couple of packs of rubber rings then?
Comment by Sarah B. Hood 03.13.11 @ 10:11 pmAs I was falling asleep two nights ago your jam and preserve combination came to mind, love your ideas, you should have your own little cottage production line going! ๐
Comment by azelias kitchen 03.14.11 @ 6:05 pmI have just made this with new seasons rhubarb and it is really delicious. The flavours are subtle and you can taste lime bluberry and rhubarb-nothing dominates- really good!
It’s a great jam for people who may be suspicious of rhubarb jam ( they do exist!1)
[…] had bragged about how delicious and beautiful Gloria Nicol’s Blueberry- Rhubarb-Lime Jam was that I made a couple of weeks ago so we made a batch of that. Both times I’ve made […]
Pingback by My kitchen smells like strawberry jam | vegparadise 06.16.11 @ 3:07 pmOh, how I wish we could trade! I have a forest (and freezer) chock full of blueberries, but am not allowed to touch my newly planted rhubarb plant until next season…
Comment by Anna 07.22.11 @ 11:37 am[…] ball of dough and repeat, use the same jam or try something different. We love Gloria’s Rhubarb, Blueberry & Lime Jam in these pop tarts […]
Pingback by Homemade pop tarts « My Vegetarian Paradise 05.30.12 @ 4:12 pmI finally made this today with the last pickings of my rhubarb plant and our freshly picked blueberries. Yummy….it was fantastic! It did take a long time for mine to be set ready….must have boiled it for 35-40 mintues. Can’t wait to swirl this in yogurt, add to ice cream or put it on toast. Thanks so much!
Comment by Sara 07.09.12 @ 9:24 pmThis was the first jam I ever made and its amazing!
Comment by Kanna 04.28.13 @ 7:20 amI can’t wait to try this jam. I’ll have to try and convert the recipe as I don’t have a scale. Approx how many cups of sugar is that? Is I’m not a canner but I have a question: What is the purpose of the round of wax paper in the jar? Great pictures on your blog! Can’t wait to get some more time and read more of it:)
Comment by Lori-Airbnb Superhost 05.30.13 @ 1:22 am