Rosemary Rhubarb Jam

When we moved into our house, we acquired a nice rhubarb patch. It is so great, every year it grows back and it doesn't need anything. It doesn't need fertilizer, it doesn't need water, and most importantly, it doesn't need weeding. It's perfect.

But...there is only so much you can do with rhubarb. You can't eat it raw but you can turn it into something delicious with a buncha sugar. You can't really go wrong with anything and sugar, I suppose, but rhubarb does have a very earthy taste that is pretty darn good.

For my first harvesting of the rhubarb patch, I wanted to make some jam because I have been eating jam everyday with my oatmeal. I didn't want to make rhubarb strawberry jam though because strawberries aren't in season. I found a recipe that incorporated rosemary with the rhubarb and since I have a rosemary bush, I decided to go for it. When making it, it smells very rosemary-lemonady which is all right but I wondered if I would really want to eat lemonade. Alas, the final result turned out great and I am eating it pretty much every morning. (I have had an oatmeal problem since the beginning of the year. Thanks to Sissy really.)

Rosemary Rhubarb Jam
adapted from Food in Jars
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar (to taste)
- 1 cup water
- 1 frond of rosemary finely chopped
- 2 lemons juice
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2t pectin (I used pomona's pectin and followed the instructions on the box)

METHOD 
1. Put the rhubarb, sugar, 3/4c water, rosemary, and lemon in a medium sized saucepan. Let boil for about 5-7 minutes or until the rhubarb breaks down.
2. Add the 2t calcium water if using Pomona's pectin.
3. In a bowl, stir the pectin powder in 1/4c water until it is dissolved. Dump it in the rhubarb mixture and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon zest.
5. Transfer jam to jars. It will still be quite runny because the pectin won't set until it is cool.
6. Put jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 half pints.