Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade

I just put a rhubarb cake in the oven (this recipe I found on Pinterest). Yes, despite my best efforts, I used my oven on one of the hottest days of the year. I also got sucked into using one of the latest, trendiest, freshest, in-season ingredients.

I am alright with seasonal, local food being trendy though. There are certain things that once they are in season I will not stop eating them with every meal (such as asparagus and corn) and in every baked good (peaches, strawberries, the list goes on); the summer is a bounty of fresh, exciting products.

I tried some in-season beet greens too that admittedly were a little odd. Apparently, you can eat the beet leaves like spinach. The actual beets are quite small, as the ones they use for beet greens are only young plants, but they make for an interesting addition to stirfries or roasted vegetables. This was more of a winter vegetable medley I suppose, with sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini and beet greens:

There are all sorts of interesting finds at the farmer's markets right now.

Try some stewed rhubarb on top of yoghurt or ice cream: simply add 1/3 cups sugar per 1 cup of chopped rhubarb and simmer about 15 minutes until soft.

The mixture lasts in the fridge for up to a week, so you can scoop it onto anything sweet or eat it by itself.

One of the best ways to enjoy that fresh bounty is to can and preserve it for when the ingredients aren't as readily available. I love how the latest Canadian Living Magazine had a section devoted to canning summer fruits and vegetables. I have made jams, salsas and relishes before, but never marmalade, so I was intrigued by their Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade recipe.

Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade (recipe from Canadian Living)
Ingredients:
3 red grapefruit
1 lemon
6 cups sugar
4 cups sliced rhubarb

1. Cut the grapefruits in half and cut off any stems and blossom ends.

2. Juice the grapefruits and lemon. A juicer helps a lot in this step. Thanks for the wonderful gift. You know who you are :) Make sure to not get any seeds in in the juice. Tie the leftover seeds and membranes into a cheesecloth.

3. Slice the grapefruit peels into thick strips. Add the peels and cheesecloth to a pot with the juices. Add 5 cups of water.

4. Cover and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours until the peels turn to mush. Remove the cheesecloth bag. Measure 5 cups of grapefruit mixture. In a new pot, stir together grapefruit mixture, sugar and rhubarb.

5. Boil vigorously for about 20 minutes until mixture reaches a gel-like consistency.

6. Pour into sterilized canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace, and process in a canner for 10 minutes.

I have never been a huge marmalade fan, as I usually prefer jam, but I loved this marmalade. The rhubarb and citrus isn't as tangy as I thought. Albeit, there is quite a lot of sugar added. That's the thing with canning recipes; don't be alarmed by the amount of sugar added. The end result is quite sweet and actually goes wonderfully with peanut butter on toast or scones. I would have never thought rhubarb could be turned into a marmalade. Now, like with most canning recipes, I have more marmalade than I know what to do with. However, that comes in handy in the winter months when you're pining for some of that summer goodness.