What To Do With All Of This Rhubarb!

We have SO MUCH rhubarb growing on the property and I have been trying to make good use of it the last few years!

I feel like I have a good system now for harvesting, cleaning and storing the good stuff! At least, it works well for my household!

I like to harvest when the stalks are as red as possible, but not too large. I find that this way they taste the sweetest and do not have the “woody” texture that the larger stalks do.

To harvest, I just grab the bottom of the stalk and gently twist and pull away from the plant. I move through the entire rhubarb patch, taking the stalks that look the best. I haul a milk crate along with me to stash my harvest!

I like to “stew” some of my rhubarb down into a sauce and freeze it in plastic containers

I could also bottle it too using the water bath canning method, but for me, it’s easier and faster to freeze it right now and we have the freezer space.

This will be great eaten as is, on toast or mixed with vanilla or plain yogurt.

My Method For Stewed Rhubarb:

• 6 cups of raw cut up rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp water

Cook on med-high heat until sugar dissolves Continue cooking on low-med heat until rhubarb begins to break down into “threads” and is slightly thickened. This should take about 15 min.

I plan on experimenting with using the stewed rhubarb to make muffins or loaves. I’m thinking that I could try using it as a substitute in applesauce muffin or loaf recipes. I can also use it to make a “crumble” desert.

I will also just clean and cut up some to freeze raw. This way I can come back to it to make jam when time allows.

I use a vinegar “rinse” to clean most produce that I harvest. I add maybe a tablespoon of vinegar to a sink of cold water and then rinse with plain cold water.

I love kitchen shears! It is the quickest way to cut up a lot of vegetables, and I love using them to cut up rhubarb quickly!

Once it is cleaned and cut up it can just be placed in freezer bags and frozen.

I will also pick some and use it right away to make muffins or other baked goods that call for raw rhubarb and freeze those.

I attempted to use the frozen raw rhubarb last year to bake with and was not happy with the results.

I know that many folks need to tend to their rhubarb plant and “divide” them every few years. I, however, do not!

My rhubarb patch was already thriving when we moved onto this property and in four years, I’ve never tended them.

How about you? Do you “tend” to your rhubarb plants? And what do you use your rhubarb for? I would love to hear your ideas!