Aarrgh, Eli. You've made me obsess about rhubarb now. I already left two comments on Eli's post, and I feel ridiculous posting a 3rd comment, so here's my own post.
Eli, I think one solution to rhubarb soupiness may have to do with the way it's cooked. (Another solution of course is pectin or gelatin.) Christopher Kimball suggests sauteeing rhubarb before including it in pie, and here's someone else--the Wednesday Chef--who has a roasted rhubarb recipe. And as you can see in the picture, her rhubarb retained it's shape and didn't go all gooey on her. Of course you'd need some gooey-ness in preserves, but perhaps you could mix the two to get the right consistency?
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Mari, a rhubarb obsession like that requires spending June in Maine.
(For the record, May is also a mighty fine month if you discover as I did, the obssessive power of fiddleheads -- by far my favorite new sophisticated vegetable to play with.)
So -- I think you are on to something with the roasting. I am purist when it comes to my jams, so pectin and starches are out completely. If I can taste them in my pies, I can certainly taste them in jams, which, if they are going to be good should be light and elegant. I actually don't appreciate the food word "jammy" unless its describing a glass of wine.... sigh... wine...
Rhubarb jam requires sauteeing the rhubarb as it is; roasting would concentrate the sugars but help keep form and allow me to cut down on the amount of sugar added -- giving that natural taste.
I will give it a shot as soon as I finish moving. I froze (another great thing about rhubarb) enough for another batch.
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