Early Rhubarb Jam

On Thursday Maggie asked if I would like a ride up to Fruit and Veg stall at the Rocky Mountain Nurseries about three miles from Wells.  We were going up to get oranges, lemons etc for a great marmalade making spree next week.  We are going to make marmalade to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Chapel at the Wells Almshouses.

It is almost like going to a wholesalers, as the owners buy the best in season, and sell off whole boxes of fruit and veg at very competitive prices.  We bought a whole box: (cardboard) of fine but 'ungraded' forced rhubarb for £5 to split...this is just half a box!  It was towards the end of the day so I think we arrived close to the final sell off.

After washing and preparing the stems, I had 1.75Kg, but by then was too tired to start cooking...

By yesterday evening I had looked through recipe books and had plans not only for the 1Kg of rhubard that went into the jam, but had also made a rhubarb crumble and an almond and spelt cake with chopped rhubarb in it.

For the jam, the rhubarb was chopped up, and layered with 900g granulated sugar to which I had added a sachet of powdered apple pectin, the juice and the rind of an orange...

After several hours of trying to get back to sleep, and no results, I was up at 5 a.m this morning, and found that the sugar has pulled out a lot of the juice leaving the little pieces of rhubarb bobbing around near the surface.  So is this doubly early Rhubarb Jam?

I boiled up the jam, using both the thermapen to test for the 105 c temp, and a cold plate for the wrinkle test, to check when it was ready to pot...and was very happy with this very delicate pink rhubarb jam.

This is the first time I have bought the very early rhubarb, and wanted to make a very simple preserve.  Last year I made a double ginger rhubarb jam as well as a rhubarb, fig and orange jam from garden grown rhubarb.

Grapefruit and cardamom marmalade

There is a much easier way of weighing grapefruits, but sometimes a little fun creeps into my preserving. 

I was thinking back to our holiday last year in La Gomera.....

Making marmalade in stages allows for time, which helps with the softening the peel, allowing the pectin to seep into the water.

I followed my now trusted formula for marmalade, using the ratios of 1 litre water to 1 Kg fruit to 1.5 Kg Sugar, with the juice of 3 to four lemons.

For this preserve, I added the lemon peel to the grapefruit peel for the soaking.

I leave the rind in these long segments for the soaking and cooking at pressure, then cut them up finely after the pan has returned to room temperature naturally, often on the following day.  It is then soft and very easy to cut up.

Before it is cooked, the flesh and pips which I removed before cutting up the rind, also go into the soaking liquid overnight.

The lemon juice only goes in when the sugar is added and the preserving pan is brought to the boil.

As I  enjoyed the Pear, Lemon, Lime and cardamom marmalade which is just coming to an end, I decided to add some cardamom to this grapefruit marmalade.  I think the P L L & C marmalade is my favourite flavour in the marmalade field.  I have made several Grapefruit marmalades since I started this blog, but it has always been using pink grapefruits.

I leave the crushed whole pods to boil up in the pan, but remove the husks and leave the seeds whole in the finished marmalade.

I have only just today made up labels, and the jars are now nestling in the preserve cupboard in the newly decorated utility room.  All except for one which I have already given to a friend.