rhubarb

The rhubarb has been growing really well. It's time to start harvesting. So our first rhubarb recipe of the season is a whole wheat apple rhubarb cake. I'm not ready to start canning the stuff just yet...I'll make some desserts and then when my family has had enough begin to process it into jams or whatever.

Although this recipe looks really delicious and will need to be set aside for when I start canning:

2 pounds chopped, raw rhubarb
8 3-inch strips lemon peel, about 1/4-inch wide (no white pulp, just yellow peel)
1/2 cup water
2-1/2 cups sugar
Combine rhubarb, lemon peel and water in a heavy, non-aluminum 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes. Stir often. Turn up the heat and begin adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time, waiting for the liquid to return to the boil before adding more. continue cooking over a high heat, stirring constantly. If the jam begins to splatter, turn the heat down slightly. Cook and stir until the jam thickens and reduces to about 3 cups (about 20 minutes).

Of course rhubarb mixes well with lots of things for jam, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, peaches, apricots. Mmmm...getting hugry just thinking about rhubarb jam on toast.