Strawberry-rhubarb jam

We’ve been receiving rhubarb every week in our CSA share, and quite frankly, I hope the end to this season’s rhubarb crop is in near sight! There’s only so much you can do with rhubarb! For the first week’s CSA delivery we made balsamic-roasted rhubarb flatbread, which was delicious! But, since these red stalks keep reappearing in the weekly deliveries, we decided to stock up and make strawberry rhubarb jam. Rhubarb keeps well in the fridge for at least a week, so it’s okay if you hold onto it until the next week’s share, in anticipation of receiving more (that’s what we did!). If you were to Google a recipe for rhubarb, you’d find that there’s quite a bit of sugar involved, at least 4-5 cups. In reality, if you stew a vegetable or fruit long enough, the natural sugars will concentrate and caramelize, making the dish naturally sweet. Yes, sometimes added sugar is needed, especially in instances where the fruit or vegetable is naturally tart, like our dear rhubarb, but you probably don’t need as much as you think, or as much as the recipe calls for.

I’ve created a recipe with about half the amount of sugar as you’d find in your Googled recipe. And this jam delivers on exquisite taste, sweetness, and texture! The secret in this recipe is to stew the rhubarb and strawberries low and slow, steeped with a pod of dried star anise. Star anise is a beautiful spice that is indeed actually in the shape of a star. With a warm, floral, licorice flavor, star anise is commonly used in sweet dishes, but it is also used in savory spice blends to balance out the bit of heat. In fact, a proper, rich pho broth is steeped with whole star anise, cinnamon, and peppercorns, among several other spices. Chinese five spice powder is a blend of star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel.

You may not be partial to the flavor of licorice, but as in most recipes that call for star anise, the licorice taste is so mellow, you don’t even realize that warmth you feel on your tongue is from the spice. In fact, you probably didn’t even realize it was a major flavor component in your pho! Star anise is that chameleon spice that melds impeccably with other flavors. It’s there, but barely.

Give this jam a try, and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Spread it on crackers, slather it on an English muffin with Kerrygold butter, or sandwich it between two pieces of bread for an almond butter and jam sandwich.

Strawberry-rhubarb jam

5 cups rhubarb, diced

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

2 cups sugar

1 star anise pod

Heat the rhubarb, strawberries, and sugar in a heavy-bottom pot on high until the sugar melts and the fruits begin to break down, stirring regularly. You will notice as the jam first begins to boil, a sugary foam will form at the top. Continue to stir the jam and reduce the heat to medium/low and bring the jam to a simmer. If the jam starts to bubble too much, reduce the heat even further. After the jam has cooked down for about 30 minutes, add the star anise pod. Allow the jam to stew on a very low heat for at least three hours. The consistency will start to transform from watery to thick and sticky. When the jam has reached a consistency you desire, remove it from the heat and allow to cool. Fish out the star anise pod and discard. Place the jam in jars and refrigerate. The jam will thicken even more as it cools in the refrigerator.