rhubarb and ginger jam

[harveymt]

The recipe I use for rhubarb and ginger jam calls for 1.1kg of rhubarb to 1.1kg of sugar with the juice of a couple of lemons. I usually add a little extra lemon juice.

I had just over 3kgs of rhubarb given to me yesterday and Im going to make the jam tomorrow. My wife always complains that my jams are too sweet. She still likes them but thinks they are too sweet. I follow all the recipes exactly. She hasnt got a sweet tooth. If I cut about half a kilo of sugar out of the 3kgs going into this batch would it still set ok? I'd just need to boil it a little longer? Or is the sugar needed to make it set? I know rhubarb can be tricky to get to set, though I've not had any problems so far, touch wood.

Are there any other things I might try to like adding more lemon juice to counteract the sweetness?

Cheers!

[hamsterqueen]

not sure that it would work, you need the sugar to preserve the fruit. I've always done equal quantities fruit and sugar.

The lemon juice might work, how bout some grated ginger?

[chris]

Sounds fantastic - do you have the receipe to hand?

[vixfinn]

When I used to work on the farm we made some of our jams with less sugar, we used apples or apple juice to add the extra pectin and natural sugars required. It resulted in a sharper and less sugary taste. I can't remember quantities as we made it in bulk. Perhaps you can google it.

[harveymt]

Good call with the apples. Any preference as to which ones to use? My uncle should have cooking apples and some eating apples on his trees. I'll try that next time I make something.

The apples porbably wouldn't go in something that had to be clear? Marmalade for instance? Wouldn't they make it cloudy? Although you could boil them in muslin bag, strain and use that liquid in jam?

My recipe is as follows -

1.1kg rhubarb (prepared weight)
1.1kg sugar
juice of 2 lemons
25g root ginger
100g preserved stem ginger, finely chopped

Cut up and place the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl in alternate layers, cover and leave overnight. I also usually give it a good stir a few times and add in a little extra lemon juice. Off the top of my head (Im no expert, so if I wrong someone correct me!) rhubarb is quite low in pectin and needs the acid to draw the pectin out of it. Leaving it overnight helps get a good set.

Next day, peel and bruise the root ginger slightly with a rolling pin, and tie it in a piece of muslin. Put the rhubarb mixture in a preserving pan with the muslin bag, bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the muslin bag from the pan, add the stem ginger and boil for a further 5 minutes. I've seen recipes that call for the rhubarb to be kept in chunks. I don't like this and prefer a smooth consistency. Before I add in the stem ginger I give the mixture a good blitz with a hand blender. Careful though with this as it is a molten sugar solution you're mixing.

Test for set, and when setting point is reached remove any scum with a slotted spoon, pot in steralised jars and cover.

Hope you like it.

[chris]

Thanks - I'll email the mrs and get her on it!

[chris]

Do you need to use that Jam sugar - with the pectin in it?

[vixfinn]

We used to use all sorts of apples, cookers, crabs eating apples etc. Whatever we could get for free! We cored, peeled and minced them to add to our low sugar recipes. I guess if you wanted a clearer jam or you could do it in the way you would make quince jelly for example. With marmalade perhaps use apple juice. Setting time may be take a fair bit longer with these. We only ever used normal granulated sugar in all our jams too.

[harveymt]

Just normal granulated sugar. Leaving it overnight in sugar and lemon should draw enough pectin out to make it set.

[Hilary B]

If you want the apples to help it set, best to include the skins and pips. To avoid them spoiling th appearance and texture of the finished product, boil them in as little water as possible until pulpy, then strain and use the liquid in the finished jam (just like making crab apple jelly).
If you use less sugar, you boil longer and end up with less jam. It will have the same proportion of sugar (around 60% of the final amount of jam) but a LOT more of all the other flavours, so it won't seem as sweet.
If you use apple pectin (as above) it should actually be possible to make a jam with no added sugar (I've seen one like this on sale commercially, and bought it because it is delish, but they use pear pectin not apple, and I can only deduce the recipe from the info on the tubs). It is so flavour-intense that you use about half as much per slice of bread.

[lindyloo]

i am just about to make my rhubarb and ginger jam, but have a problem- i cant find any stem ginger in the local supermarket, and no time to drive to nearest large town. ( i am following harveymt's recipe) i have a fresh ginger root; do you good cooks think i could make up the deficit with ground ginger powder, or would it make the jam grainy?