Strawberry Rhubarb Jam – Low Sugar Pectin

Here’s a strawberry rhubarb jam made with low sugar pectin. I love when jam tastes more like fruit than sugar and this jam does not disappoint. Also read: Chia Strawberry Rhubarb Preserve, Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam, What to Do with Runny Jams or Jellies

Adding Herb Flavour to Your Jam

Get creative with your jam by adding herb flavour to your jam. I have found the best way to do this is by brewing a strong cup of herbal tea and using the tea instead of water in the jam. Since the amount of liquid added to jam is not much, your herbal tea has to be brewed strong and flavourful so the flavour comes through. I prefer using tea instead of actual herbs for more intense flavour and to avoid having pieces of herbs in my finished jam. Cooked herbs don’t look very attractive in jam! When brewing your herbal tea you can use commercial tea bags or dried loose leaf tea. Just remember, brew it for strong, intense flavour. You can also use fresh garden herbs, my preferred method in the summer when herbs are plentiful. I use about 1 to 11/2 cups roughly chopped fresh herbs for 1/2 cup of almost boiling water (ideal temp for steeping fresh herbs is just below boiling). Yup, that’s a lot of herbs for 1/2 cup of water – but remember we want as much flavour as possible, so brew it strong. My favourite herbs for jams are lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, mint, apple mint, basil, sage or even rosemary. Even with strongly brewed tea, the flavor is very subtle, so don’t worry about overpowering the fruit flavor.

In this jam, I used Bernardin’s No Sugar Needed Pectin. I like this pectin because I get to add as much sweetener as I like (way less than regular powdered pectin) and it gives easy, consistent results. Of course there are plenty of other alternative ways you can make a jam like this. For options see the chart on pectin varieties and read after the recipe for why I choose commercial pectin.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe

WHY USE COMMERCIAL PECTIN?

I often use commercial pectin products because it’s fast, easy and consistent. Of course, you could make this jam without commercial pectin.  You would need to cook the fruit much longer, test for the gel set and use more sugar than in this particular recipe. My rhubarb ebook includes a recipe for rhubarb jam that does not require any commercial pectin. You could also try my strawberry rhubarb chia seed preserve as an alternative. For foolproof, easy and convenient jam making, commercial pectin is the way to go – especially if you’re new to jam making. There’s nothing scary or bad about commercial pectin. It is typically made from natural compounds found in citrus fruit or apples. In order to get pectin to create a nice set,  you need sugar, acid and heat. When using regular powdered pectin or liquid pectin you need a lot of sugar – usually more sugar than fruit. However, there are some commercial pectin products, like the No Sugar Needed Pectin by Bernardin in this recipe, that let you use much less sugar, sometimes even no sugar. These pectin products give you the ease and convenience of quick, consistent jam set without too much sugar. No sugar pectin products often have added sugar in the ingredient list. So they’re not really “no sugar”, but they still allow me to add less sugar than regular pectin so I don’t mind. Some “no sugar pectin” include artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which personally, I’m not a fan of. READ ingredient lists carefully and make sure your comfortable with what’s in the box. For truly no sugar options see the chart on pectin varieties. Will you try adding herbal flavour to your jams? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @getgettys or Facebook @GettyStewart.HomeEconomist.

Cook with the seasons, effortlessly! I’m Getty, a food educator and Professional Home Economist, helping you select, store, and serve seasonal ingredients in delicious, simple, everyday meals. Sign up for seasonal tips and recipes delivered straight to your inbox, and dive deeper with my books, guides, or YouTube content.