Accidental Rhubarb Marmalade.

Okay, so confession time, this might have started out as a jam recipe.  Then I got a bit tired, got my oranges and lemons muddled and consequently added the zest and juice of an orange  instead of the lemony-ness intended.  After a little swearing and sulking I realised what I had made was a Rhubarb Marmalade (ish) type concoction which is actually pretty mean.  It is a little on the sweet side, so if you prefer your marmalade a little tarter then you might wish to cut the sugar down a bit.

500g  rhubarb cut into lengths of about 3-4cm (but don't worry too much - it's all going to smoosh down anyway)

350g   jam sugar

The zest of one orange 
The juice of 1/2 - 1 orange depending on size

2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the rhubarb, sugar and orange juice gently in a large saucepan and stir it gently until all the sugar has dissolved.  Then add the zest and vanilla and whack up the heat.  You need to boil this until the marmalade has reached its setting point (you test this by putting a small dollop of jam on a super cold plate from the fridge then putting it back in the fridge for 10 or so seconds, when you try to push the dollop with your finger, if it wrinkles, you are there)!  Make sure you regularly check whether it has reached the setting point (or make life easy and use a sugar thermometer)!

Once setting point has been achieved, take the saucepan off the heat and let your marmalade settle for a few minutes before syphoning it into sterilised jam jars.


Now, slather good crusty bread with salted butter and a sticky layer of Accidental Rhubarb Marmalade and engulf.