Dear readers, do you like rhubarb? My husband, Larry, used to chew on the tart stalks when he was a kid, but I could never do that. I once made a rhubarb pie for our suppers’ group, and one of the ladies quickly told me she wouldn’t like it. I encouraged her to take a couple bites, explaining that my custard-like filling softens the taste. She loved it! I’ll include the recipe below.
Rhubarb was the first perennial vegetable I planted on our little farm, right after the fruit trees and berries. It just seemed to me that every farm should have some, so I begged a few plants off my neighbor, and later bought more from Earl May Nursery.
Maybe they were just rhubarb plants, but I was very excited to see them emerge from the ground.
I had just the place for them, tucked in between the fence of the garden bed and one of the apple orchards. It turned out to be a perfect spot as whenever the garden was watered, so was the rhubarb, and that is how I discovered that rhubarb can be good the whole summer if you don’t let it dry out and get stringy.
Look closely. Do you see what is snuggled under the leaves?! Photo by Nancy
The plants thrived, and I felt a little guilty; wondered why I planted so many just to watch it go unused. Much to my surprise, it has become a favorite.
To harvest, I simply cut it off close to the ground, wash, chop into small pieces, and bag in two- or three-cup quantities for the freezer. Even the large leaves are handy, as I layer them around the plants to smother the weeds.
Then, do I make pies? Seldom! (I’ll probably need to, though, after Larry reads this!) Instead, I make sauce, by simmering it with a small amount of sugar – about 1/4 cup or to taste. It couldn’t be quicker or easier. Then we use the sauce on vanilla ice cream. Yum! The mixture of sweet and tart is the best! It is good on oatmeal, too.
Those who make a lot of jam also use rhubarb as a filler, as it picks up the flavor of the berries and you don’t need as many.
Now, here is what my daughter-in-law, Nancy, discovered: She tried a recipe out of the Ball Canning Book for “Sunshine Rhubarb Juice Concentrate,” and it was a success. In fact, Todd likes it so well, he thinks we should market it! He enjoys keeping a jar cooling in the fridge for hot summer days, and getting his friends to try and guess what it is made from. It is a concentrate, so it can be thinned, or added to other juices, ice tea, lemonade, or punch for an extra “kick.”
I imagine many of you have favorite rhubarb recipes of your own. Perhaps for a good crisp?! Here are the two that I mentioned:
Rhubarb Pie
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 cups rhubarb
Mix dry ingredients. Beat eggs slightly, and combine eggs, milk and butter with dry ingredients. Mix in rhubarb. Place between two pie shells. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Then, 350 F for 45 minutes. Enjoy!
Sunshine Rhubarb Juice Concentrate
(Makes 4 or 5 pint jars, so you might want to double the recipe.)
12 cups chopped rhubarb, in about 1-inch long slices
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine rhubarb and water, lemon zest, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and orange juice.
Transfer to a dampened jelly bag or strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip for at least 2 hours.
Combine rhubarb juice and sugar and while stirring, bring back to 190 degrees over heat to dissolve sugar.
Prepare hot water bath canner and lids. Process pints for 10 minutes. Then allow them to cool for 5 minutes before pulling them out of the canner.
