Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with Pernod & Thyme

What is more heavenly than Strawberry Rhubarb Jam? Strawberries are the first fresh fruit to arrive in many Northern climates, and they mark the beginning of summer and all its bounty. And tart, wild rhubarb is a wonderful plant that pairs perfectly with sweet summer strawberries.

Although strawberry jam might be the most ubiquitous, it is actually tricky to get right in terms of flavor. Strawberries are delicate and if cooked too long can easily take on an unapealing metallic flavor. In addition, rhubarb can be a tough and stringy fruit if not cooked properly.

The trick with this recipe is to do like the French and macerate your fruit, aka soak it with sugar for at least 12 hours. This recipe is ideally a two-day process. If you want to do it in one day, let the strawberries and rhubarb macerate for at least a few hours at room temperature — they should render enough juice for the recipe; the longer this macerates, the better it will taste, and the quicker it will cook and reach a gel stage.

Special equipment: mason jars (Ball, Kerr, etc.), canning pot, tongs

Ingredients

  • 8 pounds fresh or frozen strawberries, or about 32 cups whole strawberries (if not local and just picked, opt for frozen)

  • 1 pound rhubarb, finely chopped

  • 4 pounds granulated sugar (roughly 8 cups sugar)

  • 1 cup lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

  • optional: 2 tablespoons Pernod liquor

Directions

PREP FRUIT: Rinse and measure whole strawberries & chopped rhubarb into your cooking pot, a glass bowl or plastic food-safe Tupperware, and add lemon juice, Pernod, thyme, and all of the sugar. Stir well.

MACERATE: Macerate at room temperature for at least 4 hours or more (but no more than 24 hours). Stir a few times to help dissolve the sugar. If not using within 24 hours, refrigerate or leave in a cool place overnight or up to 72 hours, so that the sugar and lemon juice can help release the juice of the fruit. 

SANITIZE JARS & LIDS: Place your mason jars in a pot, covered with water; bring to a boil and turn off; leave jars in the hot water, covered, until ready to fill. Place lids in a heat-safe bowl and pour boiling water over them; let them sit in hot water while you prepare the jam. 

Place a few metal spoons in the freezer for testing the consistency and gel of your jam later on. You can also place them in a cup of ice water if you prefer or on the windowsill in winter.

COOK: if you refrigerated the macerated fruit, start by leaving it at room temperature for at least an hour to warm it up. Before you turn on the stove, using gloves, smush up the fruit with your hands or a potato masher so it is nicely but not evenly mashed up.

Bring the fruit mixture to a boil and continue cooking on high heat for 5 minutes. Skim if there is foam and continue cooking on medium heat for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.  Gradually lower heat as jam reduces volume and starts to stick on the bottom. Stir every 60 seconds as it reduces.

The syrup will reach the gel stage at 221 ° F (105 ° C) on a candy thermometer, about 10 more minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the consistency by placing a teaspoon of the hot jam onto one of the frozen spoons you prepped. Let it rest for a few minutes, then test the gel by tilting the spoon vertically. What is the consistency? If the jam runs loosely like syrup or has pools of liquid surrounding the fruit chunks, then it’s not done yet. If it glides slowly along in a gloopy glob, then the jam is ready. If syrupy, bring it to a boil again for 5 to 10 minutes. Once it is done, turn off the heat.

FILL jam to ¼ inch from the top (size of your pinky nail). Place lids on top and tighten hand-tight (not body-builder tight).

PROCESS: Place lids and rings on each jar, tighten, place jar in hot water canning pot using tongs, make sure jars are covered by at least 1-inch of water. Bring to a boil, covered and let boil in hot water for 8 minutes (they should be clinking together at a full boil).  Turn off heat, remove and let rest till cool. Jam lasts at least 12 months unopened. Store in a cool, dark place to retain color. Once opened, refrigerate. 

Laena McCarthy