Traditional Strawberry Jam

 Many of my friends prefer traditional strawberry jam- just plain Jane strawberries, sugar and a little bit of lemon juice- no vanilla, no chocolate, no other berries. This recipe is for you guys!

Buy local!  Ottawa is surrounded by great farms.  These strawberries were grown at Kiwan Farms, a ten minute drive from home.

To make approximately eight 250ml jars.

Ingredients

10 cups    chopped strawberries, macerated overnight in two cups of sugar

7 cups.     Sugar (2 cups are macerating the strawberries, plus five for cooking

2 tbsp       lemon juice

Directions

Put macerated berries, 5 cups sugar  and lemon juice in a large pot and cook over medium high heat for about fifteen minutes.  Boil the fruit down until it begins to look syrup-y.  You ca use an immersion blender to purée about half the jam- carefully you don’t want the hot jam to splash you.

There will be foam on top of the jam.  Skim the foam with a large metal spoon.  Let boil for about ten minutes more.  I use a thermometer to ensure the boil reaches 220 degrees.  You can also place small plates in the freezer at the beginning of the cook and checking for gelling that way.

Fill the jars, wipe the rims with a cloth dipped in boiling water.  Top with flat lids and screw rings.  Place the jars in the steam canner.  When the dial is in the green zone, start timing ten minutes.  When the time is up, carefully remove the lid but leave the jars in the pot for about five minutes.  This will help prevent temperature shock.

Enjoy!

(Updated July 2025)

Rhubarb Chutney

 What to do with all that spring rhubarb?  I’ve made rhubarb-strawberry jam and rhubarb relish in the last few years.  Time to find something new- Rhubarb chutney.  This recipe is based on one from a New York Times Héritage Cookbook recipe.  It would be a great addition to a charcuterie board or served with a roast pork.

Rhubarb can be incredibly “brown”- lol.  To add more colour, I infused the vinegar with a handful of bright red hibiscus petals and replaced the raisins with dried cranberries -  the result was not bright red, but better than “boring” brown.  Here is the recipe.

Makes approximately 12 x 250 ml jars.

Ingredients

8 cups    sliced rhubarb

6 cups    sliced onions

2 cups    dried cranberries (or 2 cups raisins)

7 cups    light brown sugar.

1/4 cup    approx. dried hibiscus petals (optional, for better colour)

4 cups    apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp    salt

2 tsp      cinnamon

2 tsp      ground ginger

1 tsp      ground cloves

1/8 tsp    cayenne pepper (you can add more cayenne to add heat)

Directions:

Warm the apple cider vinegar and gently stir in the hibiscus petals.  Turn off the heat and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.  Strain out the petals.

Combine all the other ingredients (including the strained vinegar) in a heavy kettle.  Bring to a boil and simmer gently until slightly thickened- about 45 minutes- less if you want to maintain some of its texture.  Stir frequently to prevent sticking.  

When the texture pleases you, give it a taste.  Add more cayenne or other spices if you wish.

Pour into the cleaned canning jars and process in a steam canner for ten minutes.