Easy Rhubarb Freezer Jam Recipe (with honey)

Make this simple freezer jam recipe using fresh rhubarb and honey. 

When rhubarb season arrives here in our northern lands, I know it's time to pull out all the tasty, country-inspired rhubarb recipes I have and put them to use in the cottage kitchen.

Spring through summer, we enjoy rhubarb crisp, strawberry rhubarb pie, and some years, I even make a canned concentrate with extra stalks of large rhubarb! 

This year, I branched out and tried something different. I focused my efforts on creating a really good rhubarb freezer jam recipe, one that is sweetened with honey, instead of cups and cups of sugar! 

I don't know about you, but I always cringe at the amount of sugar that is in most homemade jam recipes.

In this day and age, we don't really need the extra sugar for its preserving qualities (thanks to the freezer and water bath canner!). A cup of sugar per 1 cup of fruit is totally unnecessary, and we already have more than enough sugar in our modern day diets. 

Apart from creating a low sugar recipe, I wanted a honey sweetened jam with tangy flavor and yet enough sweetness to be palatable. 

This simple rhubarb jam recipe is the result.

Tools 

• large saucepan with lid
• large spoon for stirring
• large kitchen knife
• cutting board
• six 8 ounce (250 ml) jars (or freezer containers)
• 6 lids to fit jars

Ingredients

• 8 cups of rhubarb, diced
• 1 cup honey
• 1 package of Pomona's Universal Pectin (I get it cheaper in bulk RIGHT HERE). 

Note about Pomona's Universal Pectin: this is a natural pectin that doesn't rely on sugar for it's gelling qualities. As a result, you can significantly lower sugar content, or even use honey in your homemade jam and still get good set.

Because it's safe for freezer jam and water bath canning, Pomona's pectin is the only pectin I use in my kitchen. I usually buy the bulk 1/2 pound package and get 3-4 year's worth of jam out of it. 

Rhubarb Freezer Jam Recipe

Step 1: Harvest and Clean Rhubarb Stalks

Select tender young stalks of rhubarb when making homemade jam. Harvest about 12 stalks from your rhubarb plant and chop off fan shaped leaves and tough ends. 

You don't need to wash rhubarb or scrub rhubarb; just give it a quick rinse at the sink under cold, running water. 

Note: if you don't grow your own rhubarb, you can probably find it spring-early summer at your local farmer's market or grocery store. It will probably be trimmed already.

Step 2: Slice Rhubarb Into Rings

The best jams have a chunky (but not too chunky) texture, with small pieces of fruit dispersed throughout.

So ahead and slice rhubarb into rings that are between 1/2 and 1/4 inch in thickness. It doesn't have to be exact, just remember smaller slices will be softer in the jam. 

Step 3: Measure Rhubarb Slices into a Pot

Measure rhubarb into a saucepan or pot as you go, until you have a total of 8 cups rhubarb. 

Note: if you're doubling or tripling the recipe, you'll probably need a large pot that is 2 quarts or bigger. 

Step 4: Cook Rhubarb Until It Softens

Once you have 8 cups, cover the saucepan (or pot) with a lid and bring sliced rhubarb to a simmer.

Do be careful, because there's no additional liquid in the recipe just yet.

Start your timer when you hear sizzling sounds and let rhubarb steam in its own juices for 4 minutes, or until the slices just start to soften. Remove from heat. 

Step 5: Measure Out Hot Rhubarb

For this recipe, you want 4 cups of cooked rhubarb. It's difficult to be exact when measuring sliced rhubarb, so it's a good idea to also measure after the chunks have softened. 

Measure out exactly 4 cups, then return cooked rhubarb to the pot. 

Step 6: Add Calcium Water, Honey and Pectin

When using Pomona's natural pectin, a small amount of calcium water is necessary for a good set. Calcium powder comes with your package of pectin and can be mixed into water ahead of time (I keep a little jar of it in the fridge).

Add a few teaspoons of calcium water and immediately stir it into the hot rhubarb.

Then it's time to prepare the pectin powder.

Important note: you should ALWAYS stir the pectin powder into your sweetener of choice before adding it to your rhubarb.

Measure pectin powder into your honey and use a fork to whip the two together, until well combined.

Step 7: Add the Honey Mixture to Rhubarb and Boil

Set the pot of rhubarb back on the stove and turn your heat to high.

Stir in the honey and pectin mixture, then continue stirring until your rhubarb jam begins to simmer and bubble again.

Step 8: Fill Glass Jars with Homemade Rhubarb Jam

Once things have simmered, it's time to ladle jam into clean, 8 ounce (250 ml) glass jars.

Your jam will expand ever so slightly in the freezer, so don't overfill your jars. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch of open space at the top of each jar. 

Step 9: Let Jars of Jam Cool Before Lidding

Let your jars of jam cool to room temperature before putting them into the cold freezer! If you're using small jars like I recommend here, it won't take long. 

Step 10: Lid Jars of Jam and Freeze

Add lids to your 8 ounce jars, label and freeze.

Helpful tip: when it comes to lids, you can reuse old canning lids and bands for freezer jam. I usually do.

I like to set the jam on a flat, even surface in the freezer, so contents of the jar freeze nicely! 

Jam will keep up to 1 year in the freezer and a few weeks in the fridge after being opened.

Helpful Tips for Beginners

1. When you cook raw rhubarb, be sure to cover the pot with a lid to retain moisture and steam slices of rhubarb. 
2. When cooked, rhubarb is generally reduced to 1/2 of its original volume (8 cups diced rhubarb makes about 4 cups cooked). 
3. You can successfully double or even triple this recipe for a larger batch of rhubarb freezer jam. 
4. Unlike granulated sugar, honey adds liquid volume to jam recipes, so between 4 cups of cooked rhubarb, honey and pectin, this recipe will yield about 6 cups of jam. 
5. If you don't have red rhubarb (mine is a strawberry red variety), your jam will be green in color, instead of the deep golden red you see in my photos here.

Questions About Rhubarb Jam

Can I use sugar instead of honey in rhubarb freezer jam?

It's very common to use granulated sugar in freezer jams. But this particular recipe was created for honey, which adds (much needed) liquid volume to the jam.

If you exchange honey for sugar, you'll end up with a very thick spread, like a fruit butter. 

Can I make freezer jam with something other than Pomona's pectin? 

Yes, you can. But most types of pectin rely on granulated sugar for a set. If you use honey with "normal" pectin, you'll likely end up with a very runny jam that resembles a fruit syrup.

Is it ok to reduce the amount of honey for a healthier jam? 

Pomona's pectin relies on calcium water and natural pectin for its gelling properties. So yes, you can reduce the amount of honey or even eliminate it altogether.

Just remember rhubarb is very sour, so sweeten according to taste! 

Is this jam safe to preserve in a water bath canner?

This recipe is can be preserved in several different ways. It is safe for short term refrigeration, freezing and hot water bath canning as well. 

Important note: when canning you leave about 1/4 inch of headspace in each jar (instead of 1/2 to 1 inch), which means you'll probably end up with 5 jars of jam, instead of 6.

Let me teach you more about rhubarb here!

How to Divide and Multiply Rhubarb Plants

How to Freeze Raw Rhubarb

Rhubarb Juice Concentrate with Honey (with freezing and canning directions)

How to Use Rhubarb Jam

We really don't need to have this conversation, do we? 🙂

Here's a few of my favorite ways to use rhubarb jam (and even rhubarb sauce) in the kitchen. 

1. Pair with cream for a breakfast porridge topping
2. Spread on hot biscuits
3. Use as topping for vanilla ice cream (it's the best!)
4. Add to strawberry rhubarb pie filling for additional thickness
5. Eat it directly from the jar (I know, my creativity stuns you! But I did say this was a list of my personal favorite ways to use it in the kitchen...or even while hiding in the pantry!). 

So now you know!