Second only to pickled onions in ease, getting rhubarb from stalk to jar is something I was excited to get back to. Whatever I did to the rhubarb plant at our little cottage in the city was not cool, so when we bought the house here and saw the former owner had a sad-but-mighty rhubarb plant? I definitely protected it through my massive landscaping transformation project I’ve been hauling arse on since the day we got here to convert our big ol' backyard into both a kitchen potager garden AND peaceful sanctuary.
See? It’s definitely loving life now…and producing like crazy!
Rhubarb is not just for jam and pie, y’all. Check out Pinterest for links to tons of savory recipes, breads, and more. I actually like having it around as a substitute for celery since it has that same crunch. But the big favorite of my husband is definitely the pickled rhubarb. And it’s NUTS how easy it is - chop up rhubarb and thin slice some ginger, then toss it with some pickling spices (oodles of recipes out there to DIY your own - do NOT waste money on a jar of stuff when you very well might have the basics on your spice rack at home!) and stuff it in a jar. Heat up cider vinegar and honey in a pot with a wee bit of salt and after it’s all dissolved and simmered, pour it over the rhubarb mixture in the jar. Let it cool, put a lid on it and toss it in the fridge.
(You can do the full water bath canning as well but I don’t make nearly the number of pickles I used to in my heyday so with vinegar-based items it’s been quicker and easier for me to just make up small batches, particularly since this is really more of a snacking favorite of my husband’s, and a little goes a long way!).
