Rhubarb Berry Jam

Two things prompted this event- rhubarb in the garden and a canning class coming up. I had never made jam before I tried this and I am now a believer! I found this recipe online at another blogger's site: David Lebovitz.
You can get his original recipe there- I have modified this one already.

Rhubarb-Berry Jam

9 one cup (250ml) jars

Berries like raspberries, black and red currants, blueberries, blackberries, and diced strawberries and frozen berries work.

Because rhubarb doesn’t have much pectin, and I don’t use commercial pectin, I added apple juice to help the jam to set nicely.

3 pounds (1.25kg) rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch (2cm) pieces
2 cups (250g) packed mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1 cup (250ml) apple juice
5 1/2 cups (1kg, plus 100g) sugar
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
optional: 1 tablespoon kirsch

1. In a large pot, mix the rhubarb, berries, and the apple juice. Cook, covered, stirring frequently over moderate heat, until the rhubarb is cooked through and thoroughly tender. It should take about 15 minutes.

Put a small plate in the freezer.

2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and cook, uncovered, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until the jam is thick and passes the wrinkle test.

To do so, place a small spoonful of the jam on the frozen plate. Return it to the freezer and check it a few minutes later; if the jam wrinkles when nudged, it’s done. You can also use a candy thermometer; jam jells at approximately 220F (104C). 

3. Stir in the kirsch, if using, then ladle the jam into clean jars, cover, and store in the refrigerator OR water bath can them.

Rhubarb and berries cooking (I used half blueberries and half raspberries)

Jam trying to reach 104. Barely reached 100 when I gave up and decided I could settle for runny jam.

Filling the jars.

Getting ready for their 10 minute water bath.

Finished product. I ended up water bath canning 8 jars. I had half a jar left that I put in the fridge. It was perfectly jelled and absolutely delicious!

Rhubarb bread for bread machine

A nice bread, not too sweet. I got the recipe from the Rhubarb Compendium. I made the larger loaf.

for 1 lb. loaf                         1 1/2 lb loaf

3/4 C.      chopped rhubarb               1 C.
3/4 C.      water                         1 C.
1/4 t.      finely shredded orange peel   1/2 t.
1 T.        butter or margarine           2 T.
1 1/3 C.    whole wheat flour             2 C.
2/3 C.      bread flour                   1 C.
2 T.        brown sugar                   3 T.
1/2 t.      salt                          3/4 t.
1/4 t.      ground cinnamon               1/2 t.
1 t.        active dry yeast              1 t.

Procedure:

In medium saucepan combine rhubarb and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 min. or till rhubarb is tender. Measure rhubarb-water mixture and add water if necessary to equal 1 C. [1 1/3 C.] Cool slightly. Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer's direction.

Nutrition:

per serving: 69 cal, 2 g protien, 13 g. carbo. 1 g. fat (0 g. saturated), 0 g. cholesterol, 77 mg. sodium, 73 mg. potassium.

**Very soft loaf. Did not add the orange peel. Very nice.

Rhubarb buttermilk muffins

Finding myself with more rhubarb than I knew possible- I made rhubarb buttermilk muffins. I combined two recipes. The one below is adapted from one I found on the Rhubarb Compendium.

1/2 cup salad oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely diced rhubarb
1/2 cups pecan pieces
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 t cinnamon

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp melted margarine

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 jumbo-sized muffin cups.
• Combine the liquid ingredients in large bowl: oil, egg, vanilla, buttermilk. Beat until well mixed. 
• In another bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pecans and salt. Add this mixture all at once to liquid mixture and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Add the rhubarb.
• Fill prepared muffin pan 3/4 full with batter. NO more than this!
• Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup.
• Bake in preheated oven on center shelf 15 to 20 minutes.

**So I overfilled my muffin tins. The muffins spilt way over (into the oven- uch). The cinnamon topping sank into the middle of every muffin. Good grief! They are delicious, though.

Frozen Rhubarb Yogurt

I've got a lot of rhubarb to harvest and with it being so hot and dry- I thought this recipe looked like something interesting to try. I got it from The Rhubarb Compendium.

Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

2 Cups Stewed rhubarb
1/2 Cup Plain low fat yogurt
3 Tablespoons Granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons Orange juice

Procedure:

In food processor puree stewed rhubarb until smooth. Blend in yogurt, sugar and orange juice. Freeze in icecream maker or cover and freeze in shallow metal pan for 3 to 4 hrs or until almost firm. Break up mixture and process in food processor in batches if necessary until smooth. Freeze in airtight container for 1 hour or until firm.

You'll notice that you need to stew some rhubarb for this recipe. Here is an easy way to do it:

8 C sliced rhubarb
1/2 C sugar
1/8 C water

In a large saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb breaks down, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated and the rhubarb is thick and jammy, about 10 minutes longer. 

**Shown on top of gingered rhubarb apple crisp. I used my kitchen aid ice cream attachment. Tangy goodness!

Gingered Rhubarb Apple Crisp

My rhubarb is ready for harvesting! Since I have a few apples left from the other week's harvest box, this recipe looked good to try. I got it from a site dedicated to rhubarb, The Rhubarb Compedium.

Gingered Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

2 c Diced rhubarb
3 lg Apples,peeled, cored and Sliced
1 c Sugar
1 tb Minced crystallized ginger
1 tb Flour

Topping

1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Brown sugar
4 tb Butter, cold, cut into Chunks
1/2 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 c Oatmeal

Procedure:

Place rhubarb, apples, 1 cup sugar, crystallized ginger, and 2 tablespoons flour in a large bowl and toss well. Turn into a greased 9" pie pan. Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and mix with a pastry blender until crumbly. Spread crumb mixture over rhubarb and apples and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until fruit is tender and topping is browned. Serve warm...

**Shown with frozen rhubarb yogurt on top. Could have also been good with vanilla ice cream or cream. I would reduce the sugar next time- I thought it was a tad too sweet.