Strawberry and rhubarb jam

🍯 The sugar + brown sugar combo, my personal twist

This is what distinguishes my jam from classic recipes where you just use white sugar. The brown sugar brings a delicious caramelized side, a darker color, molasses notes that give incredible depth. One cup of each, that’s the ratio I perfect. Granulated sugar for structure and preservation, brown sugar for character.

🥄 Stir constantly, NEVER scraping the bottom

This is probably the most important tip of the whole recipe. During the 45 minutes of simmering, you must stir constantly with your wooden spoon to prevent the sugars and fruits from sticking. BUT, and this is crucial, NEVER scrape the bottom of the pan. The sugars caramelize naturally on the bottom during cooking, and if you detach this crust, you’ll have little burnt pieces in your jam that will ruin the whole jar. Stir on the surface and in the middle, never at the bottom. If it starts sticking too much, lower the heat rather than scraping.

🌿 My rhubarb-forward ratio (64% rhubarb)

Most recipes you see online do 50/50 strawberries-rhubarb. Me, I push the rhubarb forward: 7 cups against 4 cups of strawberries. It’s intentional. I like strawberries, but it’s the little tart-bitter side of rhubarb that gives all the character to the jam and balances the sugar. If you want something more sweet-strawberry classic, reverse the ratio (7 cups strawberries for 4 cups rhubarb).

🍋 The triple lemon: juice + zest

⅓ cup lemon juice + zest of a whole lemon, it’s generous, and it’s intentional. The juice brings the acidity that helps with gelling (lemon contains pectin that combines with sugars to give the jam texture). The zest brings the aromatic essential oils that make all the fruit flavors shine. If you’re short on fresh lemons, bottled juice does the job for the acid part.

❄️ The cold plate test, my foolproof method

No need for a candy thermometer for this recipe. Put a small plate in the freezer while your jam simmers. After 40-45 minutes of cooking, take out the cold plate, put a spoonful of jam on it, wait 30 seconds and tilt the plate. If the jam flows slowly and tends to set, it’s ready. If it flows like water, continue cooking 5-10 minutes and repeat the test.

🫙 500 ml Mason jars for giving

This recipe makes about 1.5 L of jam, or three 500 ml Mason jars. It’s the perfect format for giving this summer. Pour the jam still hot into sterilized jars, let cool to room temperature then close. A nice handwritten label with “Strawberry-rhubarb jam. Summer 2026” on top and you have a hostess gift that impresses. It keeps 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.

📐 Cut the rhubarb into ½ inch dice

The size of the pieces matters. Too big, the rhubarb stays stringy at the end of cooking. Too small, it disappears completely and you lose the texture. ½ inch (1 cm) is the perfect size. It breaks down just enough during simmering to melt into the strawberries without disappearing.

✅ What to serve with my strawberry and rhubarb jam with lemon?

My two favorite uses: spread generously on hot buttered scones fresh from the oven, or on buttered morning toast. But it’s also divine on croissants, waffles with my recipe for Blueberry and lemon waffles, or spread on my Homemade multigrain bread toasted. For an elegant summer brunch, serve it on fresh cheese (goat, ricotta, brie) with crackers. And don’t forget: it’s also the perfect hostess gift when you’re invited for dinner.