Do you have a backyard full of rhubarb and never know what to do with it? This year we made delicious Blueberry Rhubarb Jam without any Certo or pectin. This keeps it very simple. Rhubarb thickens gorgeously when cooked so no need to add anything to make it gel.
This recipe is also easy requiring only four ingredients. Ken did most of this recipe as he really enjoys canning and preserving. Want more easy jam recipes? Try our Fig Jam, Peach Freezer Jam, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Blackberry Freezer Jam, No-Pectin Raspberry Jam, or our savory Tomato Jam.
I have loved rhubarb forever!! I remember growing up and taking a stalk from the garden along with a little bowl of sugar. Then I would find myself a lovely spot under a tree and dip, crunch, and munch away on that rhubarb until it was gone. That was a real treat for me.
I have also loved anything and everything rhubarb. We have done loads of recipes on the site for rhubarb that have been very popular and I will review those again today for you. If you are like me you will have stashed some rhubarb away in the freezer for use in the winter. Nothing like a rhubarb dessert or recipe to take away the winter blues!!
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I now have a large patch of rhubarb, and about 6 plants. They are a lovely red rhubarb color. I have now put them to bed for the fall having picked all my rhubarb and put it into 4 and six cup amounts and freezing them.
With both blueberries and rhubarb in abundance in Canada, this could be a very Canadian recipe.
I only got 14 cups this year but last year I got a whopping 25 cups. Maybe it was too hot this year or it overproduced last year giving me a smaller yield.
We actually used frozen rhubarb from last year for this jam. This recipe works great using frozen rhubarb and rhubarb lasts a long time in your freezer.
Blueberry Rhubarb Jam without Pectin
See how lovely and thick it is?! The rhubarb gives it the right tartness while the blueberries add color and flavor! This is my new favorite jam!!
It is very easy to make a jam like this and you don’t have to rely on pectin to make it gel and then be disappointed if it doesn’t set.
Sometimes it is hard to use up all your rhubarb and you may have to be creative. Think outside the box from pie and try a preserve instead. Your family will thank you for it. This recipe uses up a good quantity as it requires 7 cups of rhubarb.
I like to put it into little jars to give away as gifts. Everyone will appreciate your hard work and enjoy the bounties of your garden too.
I have sung about the virtues of rhubarb but not blueberries yet. They are probably our number one favorite berry and we almost always have a container of these little powerhouses of antioxidants in our fridge.
PRINTABLE FOR WATER BATH CANNING
If you don’t want to can the jam, any jam can be a freezer jam. It will last up to one year in the freezer. When thawed it will last 3-4 weeks in your refrigerator.
Blueberry Recipes
What is not to love about blueberries? The color is so pretty and the flavor so wonderful. They also give the perfect “jammy” consistency to this preserve.
We tuck blueberries into lots of recipes like Lemon Blueberry Bundt, Blueberry Muffin Smoothie, Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins, Blueberry Coffee Cream Cheese Cake, and Blueberry Pie. We also love blueberries in drinks like Peach Blueberry Sangria and Blueberry Basil Lemonade.
Rhubarb Recipes
The four ingredients in this recipe are blueberries, rhubarb, sugar, and lemon. It is completely vegan, gluten-free, and can be enjoyed by everyone! Rhubarb as I mentioned earlier is a big draw on this site as we have many, many wonderful recipes. In my top ten almost on a year-round basis are these Rhubarb Dream Bars.
Also very popular are the Old Fashioned Rhubarb Loaf and our Super Easy Rhubarb Tarts. Some newer recipes that I made this year are No Churn Rhubarb Ice Cream Recipe, Rhubarb Syrup (great in cocktails or lemonades), Rhubarb Margaritas, and a pretty Rhubarb Strawberry Cobbler that I made last year and just love the color.
You will be surprised at how many, many recipes you can use with rhubarb. A standard over the years for me has been this Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie, one that I have loved to make, again and again, year after year.
An easy Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp in our house is always welcome too or the ever-popular Strawberry Rhubarb Compote or an Orange Rhubarb Compote which we love to add to yogurt and granola. Sometimes I just make a plain rhubarb compote and omit other fruit. That is also gobbled down here!
Well, there you have it, a treasure trove of rhubarb recipes! I have to go to the savory side sometime and try a rhubarb chutney which I think would be delightful with pork, turkey, or chicken!
Blueberry Rhubarb Jam
Ingredients
- 7 cups rhubarb chopped
- 4 1/4 cups blueberries
- 4 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- The night before you want to make the jam or the morning of. Add the rhubarb, blueberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large pot, stir to combine. Let macerate for 30 min. to overnight. Sterilize jars and lids. Place a small plate in the freezer.
- When ready to make the jam place the pot with the fruit in it on the stove. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and boil hard for 15-25 minutes or until you reached the setting point, stirring occasionally. At the setting point, the foam will have subsided and the bubbles will get larger looking like fish eyeballs.
- Place a small amount of the jam (1 tsp.) on the freezer plate and place the plate back in the freezer for a few minutes to cool. If the jam seems very close then remove the pot from the heat while the plate is in the freezer. If the jam wrinkles when pushed with your finger the jam is done. If not return to a boil for 5 min. and repeat. Careful as the jam thickens it can start to burn so stir more frequently.
- Ladle jam into hot jars to within 1/4" of the top. Remove air bubbles and wipe the rim with a clean cloth. Place lids on and screw to tighten until finger-tip tight only. Place in a water bath canner, submerged in 1" water above jar and process for 10 min. or according to altitude.
- When the jam has cooked for its allotted time removed the jars to a towel-lined counter to cool. You should hear the popping of the lids as they seal. That is a very satisfying sound. If any jars don’t seal refrigerate and eat right away.
Equipment
Video
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Preservation Society Home Preserves by Camilla Wynne
Comments & Reviews
Jill J says
Have to make another comment about how easy and delicious this jam is! I just made another batch. Thanks for sharing it.
Tara Noland says
So glad you are loving it!!
Laurae says
Could you please tell me what size your kettle is that you cook the jam in? Thanks!
Tara Noland says
Any large pot would do! Nothing specific.
barb robarge says
can you use frozen rhubarb
Tara Noland says
Yes you can!
Jill says
Oh My! This jam is delicious! I just finished processing it and can hardly wait for my morning toast! I processed it for 15 min because I am at 1100m.
Tara Noland says
So glad you liked it!! Hope your breakfast is divine!!
Gaye says
Made this jam last week, and will surely make it again. Very tasty!
It made 7 cup-sized jars and a bit extra.
I like that it contains less sugar than jam made with pectin.
Have you tried doing a similar jam with cherries and pectin?
Tara Noland says
So glad you liked it, I have not made it with cherries but have with raspberries. https://noshingwiththenolands.com/no-pectin-raspberry-jam-recipe/
Pauline from Alberta says
I added Haskap berries with the blueberries, about half and half, with the rhubarb. What a delicious combination! We have a couple of haskap bushes in our yard, right beside the rhubarb, so this was a great recipe to use them in. I found after 20 minutes of boiling, the jam set perfectly.
** Are there any other berries that would work well? I love that this is purely fruit, sugar, and lemon juice.. there aren’t many jam recipes that turn out like this without the use of pectin.
Thanks for creating and sharing this great recipe!
Tara Noland says
I just had a haskap berries tiny popsicle as a palate cleanser at a restaurant last weekend. Delish!! I haven’t tried this but I bet Saskatoon berries would work well too like you did with half blueberries, half Saskatoons.
Annemarie says
I just finished making this. Turned out great, it’s delicious!! I made it from frozen blueberries and rhubarb. It turned out perfectly without any pectin (which I was concerned about). Thanks for a great recipe. 😊
Tara Noland says
Awesome, I really like the no pectin recipes, less sugar and it gels well.
Deb says
Way too much sugar! I wish I would have cut it in half. It’s all I can taste. ☹️
Tara Noland says
You do need sugar for the tart rhubarb and to make it gel into jam. It you were using a pectin the sugar would have been way higher.
Mary says
After you macerate the ingredients do you mash the fruit or leave the blueberries whole? I have made blueberry jam before but did mash the blueberries after I cooked it a bit and the sugar dissolved.
Tara Noland says
I just leave them whole as they pop when they are boiled rapidly but you can mash them too if you like.
Sandy says
Can u use frozen blueberries in this recipe? Without doing anything different?
Tara Noland says
Yes you can, they will just cook longer as they will need to thaw but I wouldn’t thaw them ahead of time even.
D N says
If using frozen rhubarb and blueberries, do I need to thaw them first and drain the liquid off? Or just macerate while still frozen?
Tara Noland says
I don’t make jam from frozen usually but I would just throw them in frozen and want the juices from the fruit to concentrate.
Patrick says
Could you make it and freeze it instead of canning, ???? Do not have a canner. Also guess you could cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.
Tara Noland says
Yes, by not canning it I believe any jam can be frozen and kept for about 1 year.