Recipe for Rhubarb & Ginger Jam

The beginning of May marks the harvesting time for Rhubarb (called Rhabarber in German) in Germany. Therefore, from the start of May, this vegetable, which looks much like celery sticks, starts showing up in supermarkets and farmers’ markets. Since Rhubarb is not commonly available in India, this vegetable had always intrigued me. Every time I saw it in the supermarket, I wondered how it tasted and what I could make of it.

I started by buying a bottle of rhubarb syrup from the supermarket and found its taste quite unique and interesting. It was tart as well as sweet and tasted very different from other fruit syrups. This encouraged me to buy fresh rhubarb and experiment in my kitchen.

But, before I cooked anything with it, I read a bit and figured that rhubarb is a vegetable. But because of its tart flavour, it is usually cooked with sugar and used in many recipes just the way fruits are used. I read about rhubarb cakes, pies, tarts etc. With fresh rhubarb on my kitchen counter, I started by tasting it raw to figure out how it felt. It was juice, sour and, of course, tart.

I started with making a simple Rhubarb and Ginger Jam. Later, I also made Rhubarb Chutney and Rhubarb Syrup. Check out those recipes too.

And this is how I made it:

Ingredients needed for Rhubarb & Ginger Jam:

2 Cups Finely chopped Rhubarb (Obtained from 2 stalks)
2 Cups Jam Sugar ( Called Gelierzucker in German)
1 tsp Thinly Sliced Ginger

Method to make Rhubarb & Ginger Jam:

Wash the Rhubarb well. Discard the leaves. Then cut it into pieces with a knife. Remove the fibrous strings.
Then transfer this chopped rhubarb to a food processor and break it into smaller pieces.
Tranger this finely chopped rhubarb into a shallow pan.
Add sugar and cook on medium heat. Mix from time to time.
When it starts thickening, add ginger. Mix some more and turn off the heat.
Let it cool at room temperature.
After it cools, it will thicken.
Transfer it to a clean, dry airtight container and store it in the fridge. You can serve this jam with paranthas or spread it on toast.

Some additional Notes:

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so get rid of them.
Since Rhubarb grows close to the ground, wash them thoroughly before use.
To avoid fibrous particles in the mouth, the jam must be smooth. Therefore first remove the fibre strings and chop the rhubarb into medium-sized pieces. Then transfer the chopped pieces to the food processor to make small pieces. If you put them directly in the food processor without removing the fibre strings, you will get chewy parts in the jam, which will not be so nice.
Rhubarb is low in pectin, so choose the suitable sugar. I used 3plus 1 for this recipe. If you are unsure about using jam sugar, read my article: What is Gelier Zucker?

About Ingredient sourcing in Germany:

All the ingredients needed for this recipe are easily available in supermarkets in Germany. However, you can buy them from amazon.de too. Links are given below:

Jam Sugar: https://amzn.to/43guVwo
Ginger: https://amzn.to/3oLMwNR

Equipment used:

Pan: https://amzn.to/43H0SOr

Here is the recipe in printable format: