A Spring Tradition Worth Waiting For

There is a moment in late winter when the kitchen windows are still steamy and the garden gives almost nothing, and yet a bundle of rhubarb arrives on the doorstep looking like a bundle of pink celery. Forced rhubarb, grown in darkened sheds and harvested by candlelight in the cold months, is one of the great quiet luxuries of the British larder. It is tender, startlingly sour and almost floral, and it collapses into a rosy mush the moment it meets heat.

That sharpness is exactly why it needs a companion. Ginger is the traditional answer: warming, slightly peppery, and generous enough to stand up to all that acidity. Put the two together in a jar and you have something that tastes of the first proper morning of the year.

Choosing and Preparing Your Rhubarb

Forced rhubarb appears from January to March and is worth every penny — the stalks are slender and deep pink, and they need no peeling at all. Outdoor rhubarb comes later, from April into June, and is coarser and greener at the base. Both work beautifully in preserves; the outdoor crop simply needs a little more sugar and a gentler hand with the knife.

• Look for firm, glossy stalks with no floppiness at the ends and no browning at the leaf joint.
• Discard the leaves entirely — they are not edible — and trim the base of each stalk.
• Wipe rather than wash if you can; if the stalks are gritty, rinse quickly and dry thoroughly so you do not add water to the pan.
• Cut into 2–3cm lengths. Very thick outdoor stalks benefit from being split lengthways first.
• Weigh your fruit after trimming. A recipe that says 1kg means prepared weight.

Getting to Grips with Ginger

Ginger turns up in three useful guises here, and the best preserves use more than one. Fresh root ginger brings heat and a lemony edge; ground ginger adds a dusty warmth that rounds out the finish; stem ginger in syrup contributes sweetness and little nuggets of chew. A combination of fresh and ground is my usual approach, with stem ginger reserved for compotes and spoonable sauces.

• Fresh root: peel with the edge of a teaspoon — it follows the knobbly contours far better than a peeler — then grate finely on a microplane.
• Ground: use sparingly. A teaspoon per kilogram of fruit lifts the flavour; a tablespoon flattens it.
• Stem ginger: chop small and add at the end of cooking so the pieces hold their shape.
• Ginger loves a little citrus. A squeeze of lemon or orange sharpens it and helps the set.

A Reliable Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

Rhubarb is low in pectin, so a firm set needs help. The easiest route is jam sugar with added pectin, which takes the guesswork out of a fruit that otherwise behaves like a liquid. If you prefer ordinary granulated sugar, add the juice of two lemons and a small grated cooking apple, and be prepared to boil for longer.

• 1kg prepared rhubarb, cut into short lengths
• 1kg jam sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 40g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Layer the rhubarb and sugar in a large bowl, cover and leave overnight. By morning the sugar will have drawn out a shocking amount of pink syrup, which means less boiling later and a fresher flavour. Tip everything into a heavy preserving pan with the lemon juice and both gingers. Warm gently, stirring, until every grain of sugar has dissolved — run a wooden spoon across the base and listen for grit.

Then turn up the heat and boil hard for 10 to 15 minutes, skimming off the pale pink foam as it rises. You are looking for 104–105°C on a thermometer, or the wrinkle test: drop a teaspoon of jam onto a chilled saucer, let it cool for a minute, and push it with your finger. If it wrinkles, it is ready. Leave it to sit for ten minutes off the heat, stir once to distribute the ginger, then pot into warm, sterilised jars and seal.

Compotes, Cordials and Other Uses

Not every rhubarb needs to be jam. A compote is quicker, softer and infinitely more useful on a weekday morning.

• Baked compote: 500g rhubarb, 75g sugar, 30g grated ginger and the juice of an orange, in a covered dish at 180°C for 20–25 minutes. Spoon over yoghurt or porridge.
• Rhubarb and ginger cordial: simmer the chopped stalks with water, strain, then add sugar and a little citric acid to taste. Dilute with sparkling water.
• Freezer jam: macerate the fruit in sugar, pack into tubs and freeze. It will not set firmly, but it makes a wonderful topping for ice cream.
• Chutney route: add chopped onion, vinegar and a pinch of chilli for a sharp accompaniment to cold meats and cheese.

Setting, Storing and Keeping Well

Rhubarb jam sets quickly and, if anything, can overshoot. Take it off the heat the moment it passes the wrinkle test, because a jam boiled a minute too long turns to toffee in the jar. A little lemon juice at the start helps, and a knob of butter stirred in at the end disperses the last of the foam.

• Store sealed jars in a cool, dark cupboard and use within twelve months.
• Once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within three to four weeks.
• Label with the date and the fruit; you will not remember by November.
• Any jar that smells fermented, fizzes, or shows mould on the surface should go straight on the compost heap.

Make a batch in March and you will still be tasting spring in November, which is precisely the point of keeping an almanac at all.