Our rhubarb jam recipe, infused with vanilla, makes for the perfect homemade gift.
Look for the pinkest rhubarb you can find to make this fantastic sweet and slightly tart jam. It's very special on crumpets or sandwiched in a Victoria sponge cake.
Cooking notes: plus infusing and cooling
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Yields:
1
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Cal/Serv:
44
Ingredients
1
.2kg trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
2
vanilla pods, split lengthways
1
kg jam sugar
Juice 1 lemon
You will also need
A sugar thermometer, see GH TIPS
Directions
Step 1Layer the rhubarb, split vanilla pods and sugar in a large stainless steel or preserving pan. Pour over the lemon juice and leave to infuse overnight (about 12hr).
Step 2Preheat oven to 110°C (90˚C fan) mark 1/4. Wash your jam jars and lids in hot soapy water, then rinse and dry with kitchen paper. Place on a baking tray in the oven for 20min to sterilise.
Step 3Meanwhile, lift the vanilla pods from the pan and on to a board. Scrape out the seeds and add the seeds back to the pan. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4Turn the heat up slightly, bring the mixture to the boil and bubble for 10-20min, stirring occasionally to make sure the jam doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. When you start to see large bubbles on the surface, check the temperature on a sugar thermometer - it needs to be 105°C.
Step 5Remove the pan from the heat and skim any scum or froth from the surface using a metal spoon. Ladle the hot jam into the hot sterilised jars and seal with lids. Allow to cool before serving.
To store
Keep in a cool, dark place for up to 8 months. Once opened, chill and eat within 6 weeks.
GH TIPS
• If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, test the jam by removing the pan from the heat and dropping 1tsp on to a saucer that has been frozen for 20min. Leave for 30sec, then gently push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles on the surface, it’s ready. If not, boil for a few more min, then test again.
• How long a jam takes to reach setting point can vary greatly, depending on the pectin levels in the fruit and the bubbling heat. So start testing at 10min.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
