Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam has an unusually clean, fresh flavour with a gentle hint of vanilla from the seeds which are flecked throughout it. The beautiful pink colour comes from the forced rhubarb used in this recipe! Even if you’re not a gin lover you will love this jam!
I cannot lie, I am obsessed with jam-making and nothing brings me greater pleasure than developing new recipes. So I’m very excited to introduce you to my Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam. I made this live on Instagram on Tuesday so thank you if you joined me or watched later.
Someone even said I should do this more often, so I’ll be sure to publicise any future live jam making sessions!As is often the way, my jam adventure started after finding 3 packets of rhubarb in the supermarket going for a song so I knew they were destined to be jam.
I’m pretty sure this was forced rhubarb as the stalks were very fine and pink with no trace of green on them even though a quick Google tells me that the season should end in March!
For those not familiar, forced rhubarb is grown in a small geographical triangle in West Yorkshire in pitch black sheds and picked by candlelight.
The dark makes the stems dark pink, sweet and tart and the leaves yellow.
I’m sure this recipe would work well with normal outdoor rhubarb too but don’t be surprised if the colour isn’t the same!
After throwing away all the rotten stalks and bad bits I was left with 450 g of rhubarb but for 9 pence I wasn’t complaining!
So then the question was what type of jam was I going to make?
My first idea was to re-shoot my Rhubarb, Lemon & Vanilla Jam but then I realised I needed to soak the fruit and sugar overnight.
As my rhubarb was on its last legs I didn’t want to delay my jam making.
Hence I needed to come up with a new recipe and as I didn’t have any other soft fruits, my options were limited.
I cast a beady eye around my kitchen and saw three miniature bottles of gin on the counter.
I’d been meaning to try them but not being a gin drinker I had dragged my feet and so they were just still sat there.
I think I must have tried rhubarb flavoured gin or seen it on one of my trips to food fairs so a Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam didn’t seem like a far fetched idea.
I gave all my samples a sniff and picked the fruitiest smelling one which was called Star of Bombay.
What does Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam taste like?
Well, I have to say it was utterly divine.
The sweet and tart forced rhubarb along with the gin, lemon and vanilla seeds combined to give a beautifully refreshing and pure flavour plus the most gorgeous pale pink colour. Rhubarb and gin are indeed a match made in food heaven.
Mr FF4A loved my jam too and we enjoyed it on scones with clotted cream which were scrumptious.
Our close is having a street party to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding. Hence, I will be bringing homemade scones, clotted cream and this rhubarb and gin jam!
As all the alcohol is boiled away you don’t need to worry about giving this jam to children.
More Rhubarb Jam Recipes
Once you’ve tried my Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam you should also try out these recipes too!
- Rhubarb & Strawberry Jam
- Rhubarb & Ginger Jam
- Rhubarb, Lemon & Vanilla Jam
- Rhubarb & Orange Jam
- Rhubarb Jam
So if you want to make this rhubarb jam check out the recipe below!
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Pin my Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam for later!
Simple Rhubarb & Gin Jam
Ingredients
- 450 g forced rhubarb prepared weight
- 450 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice plus skin from half the squeezed lemon
- 2 tbsp gin I used Star of Bombay
- ½ vanilla pod seeds scraped
Instructions
- Prepare the rhubarb by washing, trimming the ends and any bad bits and cut into roughly 2 cm pieces.
- Place rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, gin, vanilla seeds and the lemon skin into a bowl and leave to soak for an hour or overnight.
- Meanwhile sterilise 2 x 250 ml jars (see notes below) and put a couple of saucers in the freezer for testing the set.
- Start to make the jam by tipping the rhubarb mixture into a preserving pan or similar.
- Place pan on a gentle heat to allow the sugar to completely dissolve, stirring the whole time (do not simmer).
- Once the sugar has dissolved (any gritty noises will have vanished) turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil and then start timing for 8 minutes (stirring continuously).
- Take the pan off the heat and place a few drops of jam onto one of the chilled saucers then pop in the fridge for a minute.
- Then push your finger through the jam and if a gel has formed then the jam is ready, if the jam is still liquid then boil for another 2 minutes and so on until set is reached.
- Remove the half lemon skin then pot up into the sterilised hot jars and seal with lids immediately.
- Store in a cool dry place. Once open store in fridge and use within 2 – 3 months.
Jenny
Thank you for this recipe – I’m going to give it a try and if it trns outs well I will enter it in our local show, but before I make the jam I have a question. The pictures of your Rhubarb and Gin jam look gorgeous but more like a jelly then a jam. How did you not get any stringy bits or chunky bits of rhubarb? Many Thanks Jenny
Camilla
Hi Jenny, because I used forced rhubarb the chunky bits are simply camouflaged by the vibrant pink colour. Look closely at the scone photo and you’ll see the bits are all there. Good luck with the competition:-)
Macario Ramirez
Can you water bath this recipe & for how long?
Camilla
Hi Macario, this recipe is shelf stable but I know nothing about water bathing as it’s not something we do to jam in the UK. You would need to refer to the manufacturer of your jars for instructions I’m lead to believe.
Barb
I made this jam last year in the US. Now a favorite with friends and family. Should be a blue ribbon winner, so thanks for the recipe. I water bathed for ten minutes. Lasted nicely all winter until I opened the last jar. Just in time to make new batch with this years rhubarb.
Camilla
So glad you like the jam Barb, not heard of Blue Ribbon but sounds good to me:-) The jam will last without water bathing but I understand that many in the US prefer to make jam using the water bathing method:-)
Lydia
Do I stir the jam during the boiling?
Camilla
Yes, it’s best to to avoid the sugar catching and burning on the bottom of the pan. Sorry I usually say, have added this now!