I recently posted my Mango Jam recipe, but as delicious as it is, one pot of Jam is never enough for a High Tea! For our tea on Saturday, we were expecting a dozen guests, so I figured I needed at least four different jams! To cover the Jam rainbow, I served the Mango Jam with Saffron and Cardamom, Strawberry Jam, a Mixed Berry jam I always keep on hand for Sunday pancakes (Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry), and a Rhubarb Jam I made to fill the Victoria Cake, since rhubarb is starting to pop up at the Farmer’s Market these days.

Jam has always been a part of my life. When I was a kid, we spent the summers in a little cottage in the woods. I would spend my days wandering about picking raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries in the woods and meadows. And even as a kid, I went all out. I was obsessed with hunting for berries and mushrooms. We would eat berries for almost every meal, and when my parents would bring some sugar on the weekends, we would preserve the fruit as jams and compotes for the long Russian winters. My dad recently told me that several summers I picked so many raspberries, that he resorted to fermenting his own Raspberry wine. Can I add foraging as a skill on my CV?

We served these jams with homemade butter and clotted cream, which are really easy to make, find the recipes here! And all of these delicious flavors needed a vehicle, so we also served some traditional Sultana Scones (raisin scones). Check out the full High Tea menu for more ideas!

Strawberry and Mango jam over Clotted Cream

Victoria Cake with Rhubarb Jam

Sultana Scones with Strawberry Jam

Rhubarb Jam

3 1/2 points rhubarb, chopped
2 3/4 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup water

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a large Dutch Oven and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once slightly reduced, and all of the rhubarb turns into a viscous mash, turn off heat.
3. To process, boil clean jars and lids, or place them in the oven at 180 for a bit.
4. Place on a towel of some sort or a wooden counter, not a cold stone or metal one.
5. Carefully pour jam into glass containers, leaving about a half an inch of headspace.
6. Clean the rim and cover with lids.
7. Place in large pot and cover with hot water. Do not pour in cold water as jars will explode. Make sure enough water covers the jars that it will not evaporate in 20 minutes.
8. Bring to a boil.
9. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from water, and label jars for storage.
10. Refrigerate once opened, but otherwise they should store for at least a year.

(makes 4 pint jars)

Strawberry Jam

2 pounds strawberries, fresh or frozen, cleaned and chopped in half
4 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup sugar

(makes 2-3 pint jars)

1. Cook in a large Dutch oven for about 20 minutes until thickened. Do not walk way, this one likes to spill over on me.
2. Take a teaspoon full and place on a plate in the freezer to check if it is thick enough.
3. Process as above.

Mixed Berry Jam

2 pounds of some combination of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, cleaned, strawberries chopped in half
4 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup sugar

(makes 2-3 pint jars)

1. Cook in a large Dutch oven for about 20 minutes until thickened. Do not walk way, this one likes to spill over on me.
2. Take a teaspoon full and place on a plate in the freezer to check if it is thick enough.
3. Process as above.

Total cooking time: about 1 hour