Rhubarb is a common vegetablefruit in Iceland. Most home gardens have a small patch dedicated to rhubarb. Mainly because it can stand the weather and you don’t really have to do anything until you’re ready to jam it. Our parents had a small patch of rhubarb. We used to steal a stalk or two, dip it in sugar and chew on it. The sweet and sour taste of summer. Just make sure you steal it from your garden, you don’t want to rub another man’s rhubarb. Oh and don’t eat the leaves.

Rhubarb is not native to Iceland. Few things are. It came here on a vacation around 1880, took a road trip, chased the waterfalls and decided to move in. And it’s been a mainstay in Icelandic cuisine ever since. Its jammy state is especially popular. It’s great on waffles with whipped cream, on pancakes with whipped cream, on toast with whipped cream, wait, no, with sliced cheese. It goes great with hearty dishes that need a bit of brightness, like stews and steaks. It’s a must if you’re having a leg of lamb for Sunday roast. 

On to the video.

The ingredient list for this recipe is incredibly long and hard to find.

Ingredients

• 1 kg rhubarb
• 500 gr sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Jars for storage

Method.

Remove stem and leaves from rhubarb and put in a large pot*, Ideally thick-bottomed, pour over the sugar and leave overnight.  Following day you’ll see the liquid has come out of the rhubarb and you can stir and start cooking your jam. Bring it up to boil and then reduce heat to low and let it simmer in an open pot for about 3 hours. Stir regularly. It’ll be ready when the jam sticks to the back of a spoon. *Do not use aluminium pots as the metal will become discoloured and rhubarb will turn brown.  Jarring Preparation While the rhubarb is getting jammed, is a good time to start sterilizing your jars. Wash them and the lids thoroughly with hot soapy water and rinse well. Put the lids to one side and place the jars upside down on a wire rack a preheated 160°c (320°F) oven for about 10 minutes.  (If you have clip-back jars with a rubber ring, make sure you remove that before placing into oven and wash well) To sterilize the lids, place them in a pan of boiling water for a minute and then place the lid-side down on a clean surface.  Jarring. Once you’ve sterilized the jars and your jam is ready it’s time to place the warm jam in the containers. It is important you don’t let the jam touch the edges of the jars as you want to maintain the sterile seal. We like to put our jam into a jug to make the transfer easier.  Leave about a centimetre (½ inch) off the top and seal the jars thoroughly.

 

Congratulations you’ve made rhubarb jam, you jammy bastard. It’ll keep forever.

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