Okay, so the other day I was at the farmer’s market and saw these gorgeous stalks of rhubarb and a huge flat of raspberries. They just screamed “make something delicious!” at me. I’ve always loved the tartness of rhubarb paired with the sweetness of berries, so I grabbed a bunch of both with a vague idea of making… something.
First things first, I washed everything really well. Rhubarb can be kinda dirty, especially near the base. I trimmed off the leaves (those are a no-no, toxic!) and the very bottom of the stalks, then chopped it into, oh, maybe one-inch pieces. The raspberries I just gave a gentle rinse.
The Great Crumble Experiment
My initial thought was a crumble. It’s easy, and who doesn’t love a good crumble? So I tossed the rhubarb and raspberries together in a big bowl. I added some sugar – not too much, because I like that tartness to come through – and a little bit of flour to help thicken things up. I also threw in a pinch of cinnamon, because why not?
For the crumble topping, I used my go-to recipe: just flour, butter, brown sugar, and a touch of oats. I cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until it looked like coarse crumbs. Super simple.
Then I layered the fruit mixture in a baking dish and sprinkled the crumble topping all over. Into the oven it went, at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I think it baked for about 40 minutes, maybe a bit longer, until the topping was golden brown and the fruit was all bubbly and soft.
- It smelled amazing while it was baking, by the way. The whole house was filled with this sweet and tart aroma.
Jam Session (Literally)
But I had so much rhubarb and raspberries left over! So, I decided to try making jam. I’d never made rhubarb jam before, only strawberry and things like that. But I figured, how hard could it be?
I dumped the rest of the rhubarb and raspberries into a big pot. This time, I added more sugar, because jam needs that sweetness to set properly. I also squeezed in the juice of a lemon. The lemon juice helps with the setting process too, plus it adds a nice zing.
I cooked it all down over medium heat, stirring pretty often, until it got thick and jammy. This took a while, maybe an hour or so. You can test if it’s ready by putting a little spoonful on a cold plate – if it sets up and doesn’t run, it’s good to go.
I carefully ladled the hot jam into sterilized jars. The color was this beautiful, deep pink. And the taste? Oh man, it was incredible. The perfect balance of sweet and tart.
So, yeah, that’s how I spent my weekend – turning a farmer’s market haul into a delicious crumble and a batch of amazing jam. It was totally worth it, and now I have plenty of tasty treats to enjoy!
