It's Jammin' Time: Spiced Rhubarb Jam

Our rhubarb has done exceptionally well this year for only being 2 plants. We have started a new patch simply because I can't get enough of it, but that will be a year or two down the road before harvesting. I can usually get 2-3 rhubarb crisps a year from our 2 plants before something starts picking at it or it bolts and dies back, but for some reason this year I've had 5 crisps and even had some leftover to do something with. I'm definitely not complaining!

My first thought was to do something with strawberries, a natural choice, but as we haven't yet made it to the U-pick place, that will have to wait. I've been searching on Pinterest for yummy-sounding rhubarb recipes and came across a jam recipe on www.foodfanatic.com. It was a straight rhubarb jam...no lemon or orange, etc. I had pectin and I had sugar, so this was the ticket.

As I was making the recipe, I realized that it might be a bit bland for our tastes. When I make rhubarb crisp, I always put in cinnamon and nutmeg. So, I thought why not add the same spices to the jam? Should turn out tasting like rhubarb crisp in a jar....and it did! It's so delicious I hope I can get one more big picking from my rhubarb because I want to make another batch.

Here's the recipe:

Spiced Rhubarb Jam

6 cups rhubarb, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup water
4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-3/4 ounces powdered pectin

In a large sauce pot, cook rhubarb in water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the rhubarb breaks down and becomes soft. You can a potato masher at this point to help break it down further, but leave some junks. It's jam, so you want some texture. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Let this simmer, stirring occasionally, while you get your jars ready.

When your water bath canner is simmering nicely and ready to go, add the pectin to the rhubarb mixture and stir until completely dissolved. Bring mixture back to a boil. Add sugar and boil hard for 1 minute. You'll need to stir constantly here to keep the mixture from sticking and scorching on the bottom. The color will change just a little here...mine got more rosy colored when I added the sugar.

Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Add lids and rings. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Yield:  7 half-pints