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"Pop." That satisfying sound as the tight seal is broken, inside in all of its sweetened glory is the most wonderfully irrediscent jammy mess of tart rhubarb and fragrant rose ready and waiting to be generously slathered on to hot buttered toast, little pools of butter escape from the random holes throughout, a marbled concoction of jam and butter "paint" themselves onto the plate underneath where they wait for that last mouthful of toast to swiftly wipe it clean.
Whenever I make jam I always feel like I am gifting myself a moment in a particular season, a preserved moment that is. My shelf is full of jarred treasures and I love that we can treat ourselves to cumquats in summer; berries in winter and figs in spring. It makes all the sticky splatters and sterilisation of jars even more worth it.
I dont know about you, but i have had more than my fair share of near misses when it comes to burning a pot of jam, on a couple of occasions those near misses have in fact been unsalvagable and said pot was indeed never the same again! So here is a warning, never stray too far away from your stove!
This rhubarb and rose jam is so simple to make and will give you just over two cups of rosy red sweetness so you can decant it into jars and keep some for yourself and gift the others, because lets be honest, it really is quite wonderful to be on the receiving end of a glistening jar of seasonal homemade jammy goodness.
Rhubarb & Rose Jam
Makes just over 2 cups
500g rhubarb, cut into 5cm pieces
400g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
rosewater to taste, I used 1 tsp
Place rhubarb, sugar and vanilla in a medium sized pot, set over a medium -low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once it has dissolved bring heat to a medium until the rhubarb is slightly simmering away and continue to cook until the rhubarb has collapsed and has become stringy. Bring back to a higher heat so that it is at a quick spluttering bubble, stirring every now and then until its thick and falls from the spoon in luscious blobs.
Remove from the heat, stir in the rosewater and pour into your chosen jars. Wipe them clean, place the lid on tightly, turn them up side down for at least 10 minutes before standing the right way up once again. This helps to seal the jars properly. Store on your shelf, where it will sit happily for a year (or more) once open store in the fridge. It would also be lovely in this Ricotta crumb cake or served alongside a smooth, creamy cheese like Pecora Dairy's "Bloomy" for which I have quite enjoyed over the last couple of nights.
