Rhubarb is a really healthy vegetable to incorporate into our diets. It’s a great source of fibre and is packed full of vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamins K, C and A, along with B-Vitamins too and iron, potassium and calcium. It’s a great vegetable all round! So, when my Dad gave me another bunch of rhubarb stalks the other day I wasn’t going to refuse the gift and I decided that the best thing to do with them would be to make a jam.

Rhubarb is very low in pectin, the carbohydrate found in fruit which helps jam to set firm. You can buy jam sugar which is normal white sugar that has pectin added into it, but I didn’t have any so I needed to find a way to add pectin into my jam. However, the white pith of citrus fruits contains lots of pectin so I figured I’d use the rind of some satsumas I had in the fruit bowl. On reflection, I thought that I would be just as well using the whole fruit (waste not, want not!), so I blended 4 whole satsumas, along with the ginger, to a pulp in the Nutribullet and added them into my jam mix. (I checked them for pips first though!)

This rhubarb, orange and ginger jam is really easy to make, involving nothing more than preparing your ingredients and then letting it boil away on the stove top for about half an hour with the occasional stir. In return you’ll be rewarded with at least 5 jars of tart, but sweet, soft-set rhubarb and orange jam that’s infused with the warming spice of ginger throughout. I’m currently dolloping it on every slice of toast that comes across my path.

Ingredients:

1kg of chopped rhubarb stalks

80g fresh root ginger (finely minced)

1kg white sugar

100ml lemon juice

100ml water

2 tsps vanilla extract

4 whole satsumas (blended smooth)

Method:

Heat your oven to 140C/120C Fan/gas mark 1.

Sterilise your jars by washing them thoroughly in hot, soapy water and then rinsing well. Put them on a baking sheet and place them in a hot oven until they have dried. Switch off the oven and leave them in the oven.

Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and add all of your liquid ingredients followed by your rhubarb, minced ginger and blended oranges.

Stir well and cook for around half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Once you’re happy that the fruit has cooked, taking care because it’s very hot, pour the jam into your sterilised jam jars, cover the jam with a waxed disc and seal with the lid.

Leave to cool before placing in the fridge.

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