Ruby - Rhubarb Marmalade

Ruby-Rhubarb Marmalade is a treat for the lovers of the broiled fruit with sugar. The rhubarb keeps the mixture from being *too* sweet and adds a nice piquance to a spoonful. 

I will never forget the one time our school decided to offer grapefruit halves for morning snack to our grades 4-8. The number one is significant here - they were such a flop that you probably couldn't pay the two or three students who ate one (with a bucket of sugar on top) to take a second. While I applaud (and advocate strongly for) produce-based snacks for the kids in lieu of the refined crackers / chips / cookies they crave, I truly wonder who looked at grapefruits at the store and thought "oh yeah, the kids will love these". I don't even like them. Not to mention, the healthy benefits of the citrus are essentially negated by dumping three or four tablespoons of sucrose on top.

That said, this marmalade is not one of my low-sugar spreads, but for those who love the flavour of a sprinkle of sugar on broiled grapefruit in the morning, a smear of this on toast is the perfect addition to breakfast. This marmalade is unique amongst the ones I've seen and tried, since it is not only cardamom-scented but contains rhubarb. I found the recipe on Laundry, etc., and since my mom loves grapefruit (even without sugar!) I knew I had to make a batch for her to put on her homemade bread each morning.

Even with constant babysitting and stirring, my batch wound up slightly overcooked, tasting not unlike the aforementioned broiled fruit. Luckily, my mom dove right in without hesitation and declared it not only edible, but enjoyable - a fine balance between bitter, sour, sweet and fragrant. If I change anything when I make this again, I will add vanilla or use vanilla sugar for an extra hint of fragrance.


Ruby - Rhubarb Marmalade
Makes approx 4 ½ pints, 144 (1 tbsp) servings
18 oz rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
4 1/2 cups sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cardamom
3 pink grapefruits, approx 750g (1.65 lb )
4 1/2 cups water

1. Combine rhubarb, sugar, cardamom and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and let stand overnight.
2. Trim away both ends of the grapefruit and slice in half lengthways.
3. Core the grapefruit and pick out any seeds. Bundle the seeds and cores in cheesecloth and tie shut. Set aside.
4. Cut the grapefruit halves in half, then half again (so you have eighths), then slice thinly.
5. Put slices and cheesecloth bundle into a bowl and cover with the water. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Sterilize jars and lids if you plan to can the marmalade.
7. Combine the grapefruit mixture and the contents of the rhubarb bowl in a pot and bring slowly to a rolling boil, stirring to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.
8. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 F on a thermometer.
9. Process for 10 minutes in a waterbath.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 26.1
Total Fat: 0.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 0.1 mg
Total Carbs: 6.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 0.1 g
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