Easy Apple and Rhubarb Jam

1. Add chopped rhubarb, diced apples, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl, cover and leave aside for at least 1 hour to infuse the flavours.
2. Transfer the fruits into a heavy bottomed sauce pan, add the cinnamon, water and dried or natural lemon pectin.
3. Heat the fruit mixture over a medium-high flame until it comes up to a boil, then let it simmer for approximately 20 more minutes or until it reaches a sticky, jammy consistency and the rhubarb and apples are soft and have broken down.
4. Use a fork to gently mash down the pieces of the apples and rhubarb, leaving a few small chunks.
5. If you have used the lemon pectin, then remove the cheesecloth with the seeds and lemon peels.
6. Pour the jam into warm, sterilised jars nearly to the top, wipe the rims with a cloth or paper towel, seal with lids and immediately turn upside down to create vacuum. Store the jars in a cool, dark place.
7. After you have opened a jar to use the jam, refrigerate it.

Note - To sterilise the jam jars: put clean jars in the bath filling each with the hot water, add the lids in too and process them in a bath of hot, simmering water for at least ten minutes. Take them out when ready to use.

Trivia

• Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable and not a fruit? But despite it being a veggie botanically, the US Customs Court in 1947 defined it as a fruit based on its consumption. Till this day it is commonly and legally known as a fruit.