recipe: rhubarb jam

I always enjoy the rhubarb at the beginning of the year and have never preserved it before, so this year I thought I would attempt jam.

I used a basic recipe that I have used for strawberries for years but just used less lemon juice as the rhubarb is already quite sour.

For every 1lb of rhubarb - 1lb of sugar and juice of half a lemon (note: for strawberries I would use the juice of a whole lemon).

Chop up the rhubarb and gently simmer all the ingredients until reaching setting point. Test for setting point by dropping a little of the jam onto a cold plate (one that has been put in the fridge), drag your finger through the jam and if it stays separate it is done, if it seeps back together it needs more cooking.

About halfway through we put in some grated ginger, about a 1" piece per 1lb of fruit. This tastes good to me but is optional. When I make this again I think I will try cinnamon.

This is already finding its way onto our toast but I think it might find its way onto meat as well as it's quite tart, rather like cranberry sauce.