This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.​*

Friends, I have so much to catch you up on. Spring has finally arrived here in the midwest, and we are getting ready to put our little cottage on the market. Our home build has started + we are beginning to downsize, move our furniture into storage to begin the process of showing and holding an open house. I’m deep in gratitude for our cottage, cherishing our years spent learning, loving and raising our sweet children in the garden, and appreciating all the ways I've come to grow so much myself. 

Our Homestead

We came to this home to begin homesteading after city living for many years. We wanted to slow down, connect with the earth, and invest more of ourselves into learning skills like growing our own food, raising hens, canning, and herbalism to see if we could really do it. That was five years ago this summer, and I'd say we are learning, failing and loving this lifestyle more and more every day. It's challenging, it’s different, it's messy, it doesn’t look like the standard way of being our society presents but in so many ways, those challenges connect us to our humanity and fill our hearts with gratitude. 

Canning

Spring is one of my favorite seasons, it holds so much potential and so much beauty. Bursting with energy, life renews, and my heart does too. I’m having a hard time believing this will be our last spring in this home. When the crabapple blossoms fell to the ground, I was heartbroken, knowing that would be my last time experiencing these trees blooming from my kitchen window. But alas, it is remembering how much love we’ve put into this home and garden, and reflection on how much we’ve learned and grown as individuals and as a family, and participating in these rhythms one last time that is grounding me and comforting me at this time of change, and honestly chaos. 

Canning is one of those rituals I'm reflecting on because four years ago, i was so nervous, curious and had so much trepidation about canning. Yet it has been one of the most rewarding and fun skills to learn + share with my children. It connects me with my ancestors, my great grandmother Nan, grew in her garden and canned, out of necessity, for her fourteen children. As my grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday, she still remarks to me how much i remind her of her mother, with my garden and my growing.

Canning is a way we sustain ourselves, preserve our food and harvest, and share the love made in earnest in our kitchen with each other. I’d love for you to share in the comments if you’ve ever canned, if you want to can and are nervous or if canning runs in your family. I’m grateful to be able to share the process with you.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

In our family, AJ is sugar free, yes he doesn’t eat any sugar, and I tend to feed our family with natural sweeteners, but when it comes to canning, sugar is helpful in the preservation process. It can be done with natural sweeteners, but sugar is useful. And so I treat the children and myself from time to time. Griffin remarks “Does that have sugar? That means dad won’t eat it all” 
Water bath canning is one of the most straightforward methods of canning. You can even do it in a stock pot or dutch oven you already own with the right tools. Ball® home canning has a wonderful starter kit to get you off to a great start and well as so many tested and approved recipes in their Ball® Blue Book and Fresh Preserving website.

Today i’ll be sharing this spring inspired + delicious tested Ball® Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.

Makes about Makes about 6 (8 oz) half-pint jars 

This first sighting of Rhubarb in markets and gardens surely means Spring has arrived. This perennial vegetable can be used savory, but we prefer it slightly sweetened, mixed with Strawberries and a floral hint of vanilla.

Ingredients 

1-1/4 lbs Strawberries, hulled and quartered, 4 cups prepared

1 -1/4 lbs Rhubarb, trimmed, sliced into ¼ inch pieces, 4 cups prepared

1 vanilla bean

5 1/2 tbsps Ball® Classic Pectin

3 1/2 cups sugar

To Make

Prepare boiling water canner.

Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.

Crush strawberries one layer at a time in a 6 quart saucepan. Slice vanilla bean lengthwise and, using a sharp knife, scrape out the seeds, cut bean in half, add seeds and bean to strawberries, crush berries with a potato masher; add sliced rhubarb, gradually stir in pectin; turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a simmer, cook 3 minutes without boiling, to help soften rhubarb.

Turn heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly.

Add sugar all at once, stirring to dissolve. Return jam to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

Ladle hot jam into a hot jar leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner.

Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.