Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam and the New Community Garden Neighbor

So, I have a new neighbor in the community garden. I am envious. Her collards look much better than mine and I started a week earlier than she did. She had this huge rhubarb plant in the front row and my husband and I commented several times to each other earlier in June that she really needed to cut those seed stalks comes up off soon. Well, last week I stopped to chat with her and comment about how lovely her collards looked compared to mine and she just so happened to mention that nasty rhubarb plant. I told her that we loved rhubarb and having been making bread and pies at home from the plant we have in our front yard. She told me that she didn't have a clue about how to use it and if I wanted it that is was all mine.

Long-story-short....Thursday, July 3....I took down those seed stalks, butchered her plant with precision and made Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam. YES...I gave her a 1/2 pint for her kindness, along with the recipe. I can't take credit for the recipe, but it is yummy and will taste like a burst of sunshine in the dead, cold, and dark winter of the interior.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam

Makes approx 9 – ½ pint jars

Recipe from “Cooking Alaskan, By Alaskans” . pg. 471

1 lb. rhubarb, sliced thin
1 ½ cups mashed strawberries (I used a food processor to chop)
6 ½ cups sugar
1 pouch liquid Certo pectin
¾ cup water

Simmer rhubarb in ¾ cup water until soft (about 10 minutes or less). Add to the rhubarb the strawberries and sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard one minute (stir constantly). Take off the heat, add one pouch Certo and mix well. Pour into hot sterilized jars, adjust caps and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.