rhubarb ginger jam

There’s only so much rhubarb crisp and pies a girl can eat.  And to be honest, I’m somewhat tired of the whole rhubarb-strawberry combo.

Yet, the rhubarb (as of a few weeks ago) just looked so good at the markets, I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy some.  So, there I was with rhubarb in kitchen–again–trying to figure out what I could do with it that didn’t involve baking a pie or strawberries.  And that’s when I came across this recipe.  Perfect.  After reading it, I wanted to add a spicy chili for a little kick, but chickened out at the last minute.  I regret that now as I think it would have worked nicely.  I did, however, add a touch of cinnamon, which I enjoyed (but couldn’t help but wonder how much more interesting it all would have been with that spicy kick).

Ironically enough, even after halving the recipe to yield just two 1-pint mason jars, I still had more jam than we could ever really eat.  What to do with the second jar?  I made a tart.  Guess a girl can’t have enough tart/pie after all.

rhubarb ginger jam
adapted from Saveur (recipe cut in half, refer to original recipe for the full 4 jar quantities)

ingredients

• 3/4 lbs. rhubarb stalks, chopped in 2″ pieces
• 1 cups sugar
• 1″ piece peeled ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick

directions

1. Sterilize two 1-pt. mason jars by plunging jars, lids, and rims into a pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside to dry.
2. Quarter 1″ piece of ginger.
3. Place in a large saucepan with sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick and 1 cup water. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and skimming foam as it rises, until rhubarb is soft and syrup begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Remove rhubarb with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Continue simmering syrup until very thick, another 7–10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Discard ginger and cinnamon, return rhubarb to pan, stir, and cool for 5–10 minutes.
6. Pour jam into jars, seal, and let stand at room temperature to set.
7. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.