Making jam

Last week, I found myself with another bunch of rhubarb; I have no willpower when it comes to the farmers' market, and the piles of rhubarb looked too pretty to pass up. Since it's not exactly something you can snack on, I needed to come up with something to do with it. I had half a mind to make it into a dessert for Kate's birthday, but I made Kate a chocolate cake instead, so I still had to use it up. This is where Tom's grandmother comes in. I've never actually met her (I take it that meeting Granny is sort of like being allowed into the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City; you've got to be a member, and suffice it to say that I'm not, at least not yet) but I've eaten many of her specialties. Cakes, jams, flapjacks, apple sauce, cabbage, soup, fish pie, entire canisters of chocolate: the whole lot. She seems to be someone who believes in expressing love by feeding everyone around her, to excess. Tom can't visit her without returning with a crate of things she's made. And she's the one who taught him to cook, too, so judging by her prodigious output and the quality of her students, I think she's got some serious culinary prowess.

So when I opened the fridge for the umpteenth time and saw that rhubarb staring at me, once again, I thought: I should make Granny's ginger rhubarb jam. I got the recipe (Tom has access to the temple, you see), and made it on Sunday morning. I haven't tasted the results yet, but I think they look pretty promising.



Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

2 1/2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and chopped (prepared weight)
2 1/2 lb. sugar
Juice of 3-4 lemons (reserve peel from one lemon and seeds from all lemons)
1 oz. fresh root ginger
4 oz. preserved or crystallized ginger, chopped

Put the rhubarb in a large bowl in alternate layers with the sugar and the lemon juice. Cover and leave overnight.

Next day, crush or bruise the ginger root slightly with a rolling pin and tie in a muslin bag with the lemon peel, chopped, and the seeds.

Put the rhubarb mixture into a pan with the muslin bag, bring to a boil, and boil rapidly for 15 minutes. Remove the muslin bag, add the preserved or crystallized ginger, and boil for a further 5 minutes or until setting point is reached.

Remove any scum, then pot and cover in the usual way.