Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam

This morning I visited the local farmers market. And we're not talking about a classy, organic, clean market, not at all! We're talking about a bustling, dirty, straight from the producers sort of market, which is great! You know exactly where your produce came from, it's much cheaper than at a grocer or supermarket and it's all gorgeous, fresh and seasonal. I went a bit crazy, and bought a big box of plums, a box of tomatoes, a tray of strawberries, lots of apricots, a bunch of kale, a few eggplants and a couple of bunches of rhubarb!

Then came the fun bit- choosing what to make with it all! I've made heaps of things, which you'll hear all about in the week ahead, but the first thing was this delicious strawberry and rhubarb jam.
It's a gorgeous colour and the rhubarb adds a subtle (but fabulous) twist to the basic strawberry jam. And the best thing about jam is that it keeps for ages, so I'll be giving it away and eating it for a long time yet!

The batch I made is huge, since I had so much strawberry to use, but you could, definitely make a smaller quantity if you wanted. Also, feel free to adjust the ratio of rhubarb and strawberry depending what you have on hand, just so long as the overall amount of fruit remains the same.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam
Based on: http://nutritionfor.us/2012/06/eat-skinny-strawberry-rhubarb-jam/

2.4kg strawberries, hulled and diced
1kg rhubarb, sliced
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice (approx. 3 large lemons)

1. Combine fruit and sugar in a pan over low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Taste the jam, and if necessary add more sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
3. Allow jam to simmer until a dollop on a saucer left in the freezer for two minutes is thick but runny. Remove from heat.
4. Whilst still hot, transfer to sterilized jars. The easiest way to do this due to the large chunks is to cut the top off a milk bottle and use it as a funnel. Also, I'd recommend you cover your work surface with newspaper, because jam is so sticky and it does have a tendency to go everywhere at this point!

Mia :)