Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

This came about because I mentioned to the Grandfather of one of the toddlers that I care for that I could make ginger and rhubarb jam.  The following week he sent an oh so subtle hint of an empty rhubarb and ginger jam jar!!  So today we cut the rhubarb, which provided dramatic amusement for a while......

Then we de-stringed and chopped the rhubarb..... I know that this looks like a huge knife for such little hands but I actually find that the children are more careful with a bigger knife..... supervised of course!

Then we weighed the fruit and measured out the same amount of granulated sugar.  I now make jam in the microwave courtesy of my mother-in-law's recipe (thanks Mam!) so I cooked just the rhubarb for ten minutes and then drained the excess water off.  Adding the sugar and the ginger I stirred it well and returned it to the microwave for as long as it took to become jam-like, stirring every five minutes.  I'm afraid I can't provide a more exact time as I was attending to the needs and wishes of six children at the same time!! During the cooking I filled the clean jars with boiling water up to the necks and rested the lids on before emptying them just before pouring jam into them.  By doing this the jars are sterilised and as the jam and the jars cool, the 'buttons' on the lids are sucked down, creating a good seal on the lids.

One jar was duly dispatched to little one's Grandfather this evening!!