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Jun 10
2010
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Elderflower and Rhubarb JamPosted by: pickleandpreserve   |
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The elderflowers are really starting to look good in the hedgerows and this is a perfect way to use their subtle flavour with that other early summer favorite rhubarb. You don't need may umbrels of flowers to get a hint of the taste, and you can use any extra to make elderflower cordial.
This recipe is adapted from the one in Edible Wild Plants & Herbs by Pamela Michael.
See here for the elderflower and rhubarb jam recipe in more detail.
Recipe Costs
£0.00 6 large elderflower heads (you can get dried ones on ebay, but I haven't tried them)
£0.00 1.5 kg rhubarb (£9.33 if bought)
£1.40 1.5 kg sugar
£0.35 1 lemon
£1.75 Total (£11.08 if buying the rhubarb)
£0.87 per kg of jam (£5.54 if buying the rhubarb - Elderflower and rhubarb jam costs £9.26 a kg at gallowaylodge.co.uk)
My elderflowers were on the small side, so I used about 15, they are tied up in a muslin bag and put in the bottom of a large bowl.
The rhubarb is chopped up and placed on top of the elderflowers.
The sugar is sprinkled onto the rhubarb and the bowl shook to make sure it settles down. This recipe relies on the sugar drawing out the juice from the rhubarb by osmosis, the only other liquid added is the juice of a lemon. As a result the jam should have an intense flavour. I used a glass bowl so I could see just how much juice was coming out, I've used a similar process before when making marrow and ginger jam and am always surprised how well it works.
Afetr 12 hours the rhubarb is starting to give up it's juice, it's given a quick stir and then covered back up again.
After another 12 hours the rhubarb is swimming in it's own juice, it's heated up slowly to dissolve all the remaining sugar, then returned to the bowl for another 12 hours.
Before the final cooking process the juice of a lemon is added, using my satisfyingly functional glass lemon squeezer.
The jam is cooked for about 45 minutes until it reaches setting point, then potted in steralised jars. I always find a jam funnel useful at this stage.
Recipe Timings
20 minutes Preparation
36 hours standing
45 minutes cooking
10 minutes bottling
Taste Test
It's surprising how so few elderflowers give such a distinctive taste to this jam. It's not overly sweet, which brings out the flavour of the rhubarb nicely.
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