Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

1 quart fully ripe strawberries

1 pound fully ripe rhubarb

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon margarine or butter

1 pouch Certo Fruit Pectin

Preparation

Boil jars on rack in large pot of water 10 minutes. Place flat lids in saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Let jars and lids stand in hot water until ready to fill. Drain well before filling.

Stem and thoroughly crush strawberries, 1 layer at a time. Measure 2 1/4 cups into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Finely chop rhubarb; do not peel.

Place in 2-quart saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 minutes or until rhubarb is soft. Measure 1 3/4 cups into saucepot. Mix sugar thoroughly into fruit in saucepot. Add margarine. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in fruit pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8-inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Invert jars 5 minutes, then turn upright. After jars are cool, check seals. (Or follow water-bath method recommended by USDA.)

This recipe yields 8 (1-cup) jars.

Yield: 8 half-pints