Orange, Carrot and Rhubarb Preserve

Orange Rhubarb and Carrot Preserve tastes almost like the plum sauce you find in restaurants but with a hint of earthy flavour from homegrown carrots.

While I may not have been up to the usual glut of preserving this year, I did pull in an impressive haul of both rhubarb and carrots. Since there are few recipes that use a ton of either ingredient, I had to do some extra scouting, and what I found I couldn't have been happier with! The original recipe from my old church cookbook called this an "Orange Rhubarb Jam" but the consistency and taste weren't quite what I would call "toast toppable". Instead, what the concoction reminded me of most was a slightly winter-spiced plum sauce. Thick enough to stick onto potstickers, samosas or chicken fingers, thin enough to mix into a stir fry, it's sweet, sour, and just a touch earthy. In fact, the un-canned jars of this combination found their way into all sorts of savoury meals, both as an ingredient and as a condiment.

Whatever you call it, it's definitely a unique addition to the holiday table, and one I would feel 100% comfortable pairing with roasted veggies (like carrots! Or Brussels sprouts) as well as the main meat or protein (this is awesome over baked tofu too). Most importantly, it helped me use up my haul of heirloom carrots and rhubarb before they went bad in a way that didn't take up freezer space - after all, we had to shove a 15 lb turkey in there somehow in with all the other day-to-day items!

Orange, Carrot and Rhubarb Preserve
Makes 4 1/2 pints
8 cups diced rhubarb, frozen, thawed and drained
4 cups finely grated carrots
3 oranges, grated peel and juice
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 cups sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp cardamom
1⁄4 tsp nutmeg

1. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Cover and let stand overnight (at least 8 hours). 
2. Transfer mixture to a large pot and bring to a boil.
3. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat until rhubarb is transparent and the mixture is thickened, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Pour into prepared jars leaving a 1/4" headspace.
5. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.