Rhubarb is one of those amazing plants. Some people love it and some people hate it. I think some of the haters just haven’t tried the right recipe. Get creative try something new.
Rhubarb can be used for pie, stewed, sauces, sorbet, pickles, smoothies, cobbler, upside down cake, muffins, jam, can even be used in mixed drinks.
I made some rhubarb pickles for the first time —wasn’t sure what to expect—they were great! (see below)
It goes great with ginger and meats (pork, chicken and fish)
The possibilities seem endless with Google! If you come across a good one let us know!
Basic Rhubarb Sauce:
4 C. rhubarb chopped
3/4 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Water
Place all in sauce pan; cover, and simmer over medium heat until all the rhubarb has softened. Pour over ice cream, plain yogurt, or biscuits
(variations: add tsp. of cinnamon or a slice of fresh ginger when simmering)
Rhubarb Pickles:
2 C. Cider Vinegar (Bragg Organic)
1 1/2 C. sugar (I used stevia drops and honey with a little extra water to make up for lost volume)
1 1/2 Tbsp coarse salt (I used pickling salt)
1/2 Tsp yellow mustard seeds
10 whole cloves
10 whole black peppercorns
1 1/2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (organic if possible)
1 lemon ( I used a little Santa Cruz organic lemon juice)
1 pound fresh rhubarb, cut crosswise into 3/4″ pieces
In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt mustard seeds, cloves, and peppercorns. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is just dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, then use a vegetable peeler to slice strips of zest fro the lemon; add to the saucepan. Let liquid cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Divide the rhubarb among 3 clean small glass jars. Ladle in the cooled brine mixture. Top with lids and refrigerate the pickles for 2 days before eating.
(my advise – definitely wait the 2 days – they improve over time)
