Modern Day Canning


Now the thought of  home canning seems pretty foreign to my generation. We buy everything from the store. Jam is already sealed up nicely and presented to us on perfectly lined shelves. Honestly, I can walk 100 yards across the street from my apartment and pick up a jar.

As a new project, I set out to can my own Rhubarb Jam this year.  Now, I have made jam in the past, and my recipe is easy peasy, but never had I imagined I would can my own jam. Now I know my grandmother has canned veggies, fruit and various other things over the years, but she wasn’t my first stop. Where else did I go, but the Internet. The moment an idea hits a member of the smart phone age, we run straight to Google.  I looked up canning, and stumbled upon a modern day canning technique that involved my dishwasher. Needless to say I read through the page and moved on.  Hours later, ready to start my project, jam in the process of brewing, I decide now is the time I need to call my grandmother for advice.  I tell her about the article I read involving using the dishwasher, and she was all on board.  She told me the real trick is to get the jars sterilized and really hot.  My dishwasher could do that!  With my new found license to experiment, off I went to make my jam.

Here is my journey, and my first Rhubarb recipe post!

First things first. Cleaning all the rhubarb I gathered from that massive plant I showed you all the other day.

Next, chop, chop and more chopping. This might be the part I dread the most. So much chopping to get the 6 cups needed for this recipe.

To make the  jam recipe, you really only need 3 ingredients, simple huh?  Strawberry Jello, sugar and rhubarb!

Next, place your rhubarb in a large pot on the stove. Add 1/2 cup water, max. Turn burner on  medium, and let that rhubarb reduce.

And reduce. And reduce

Now, that your rhubarb looks like mush you can add in the jello and sugar. This is the best part, taste testing! The sugar is an estimate, you can add more or less to your liking. Just keep testing until it is just right 🙂

Now while this whole rhubarb mushing is taking place, you need to prep those jars! Here is where my modern day technique comes into play.

Yup, that is a photo of my dish washer! Secret weapon! The goal here is to get those jars super HOT and sterilize them. Why not take a trip through the wash and rinse cycle on hot?  DONE!

Once the jars are hot and the jam is done, but still warm on the stove, you can set to work filling the jars. Simultaneously, putting the lids in boiling water to prep the seals. They only need roughly 5 mins in boiling water to be ready. (Make sure to not let them overlap in the water!)

With a tongs pull the lids out one by one and place on each jar of full jam.  Make sure there is space in the jar for air, due to the hot jam and hot jar, we don’t want too much expansion and an explosion to take place.  Seal on the outer ring, but not too tight, just tight enough to be secure.

Let rest for 12 hours. If it sealed properly you will not be able to press down on the lid and hear that popping sound any more. 

There you have it, Homemade Canned Rhubarb Jam! 

Off to have some toast and jam, or ice cream and jam… I think I will go with the later 🙂

Rhubarb Jam

yields 12 jars

  • 6 Cups Rhubarb, chopped
  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • 1 Large Box Strawberry Jello
  • 1/2 cup water
  1. Chop 6 cups of rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces.  Place in large pot with 1/2 cup water.  Reduce rhubarb on medium, until rhubarb has turned to mush. 
  2. Add in sugar and jello. Stir and reduce to a simmer.  Taste test, adding more sugar if needed. Depending on how tart your rhubarb is or how sweet you like your jam, you may need to add more sugar. 
  3. Place in canning jars and seal. Store opened jar in refrigerator.

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