Strawberry-rhubarb jam with lemon balm and agar-agar

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g rhubarb, peeled
• 700 g strawberries, cleaned
• 1 kg sugar
• 3 leaves of lemon balm (large leaves)
• 2 packs of agartine (agar-agar powder)
• Boiling water (to sterilize the jars)

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Without gelling sugar, easy to make, fresh taste from lemon balm, delicious

Peel and skin the rhubarb and hull the strawberries. After hulling, you should have 300g of rhubarb and 700g of strawberries. Cut the rhubarb into approximately 0.5cm pieces, halve or quarter the strawberries depending on their size. Finely chop the lemon balm. Puree these ingredients in a blender or puree with a hand blender. Mix about 200ml of this puree with the two sachets of agartine until smooth (this works best with a whisk) and set aside. The amount of agar-agar should be based on 1000ml of liquid; it’s best to follow the package instructions. Boil water and boil the lids of the jam jars (twist-off jars) for at least 5 minutes to sterilize them. Pour boiling water into the well-rinsed jars and set aside. Combine the rest of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture with the sugar in a very large saucepan (the mixture will foam up later) and stir in the sugar until combined. Turn the heat up to high and bring the jam to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to boil gently for a good 5 minutes. Then turn the heat back up to high and wait until the mixture is boiling properly. Stir the agartine mixture again and add it to the boiling jam. Continue stirring for a good 3 minutes, then scoop the foam onto a plate. You can’t test for settling with agar-agar, as the mixture only sets when it’s completely cold. Empty the water out of the jars (careful: it’s hot!) and pour the jam into the hot jars. Screw the lids on tightly and turn the sealed jars upside down for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then put them back on their normal positions. When the jars cool, a vacuum forms, preserving the jam. You can tell by gently pressing on the lid: If the lid no longer gives way and perhaps pops, the jar is tightly closed.