Our youngest son is turning seven today, which is so hard for us to believe! …
When we first changed over pretty much our entire, limited backyard space into a raised bed garden about four years ago, two of our first choices for what to plant in the new garden were asparagus and rhubarb. Both of these plants are perennial and take several years to become established in your garden before you can begin harvesting from them. So we knew that we needed to plan ahead and get started right away if we wanted to eventually enjoy fresh asparagus and rhubarb from our garden. After watching the plants grow and expand for the first two seasons (if you start them from seeds, you need to wait an additional year but we weren’t that patient!), we were finally able to cut off the first asparagus and rhubarb stalks last year. Woohoo! Super exciting! (It’s the little things, right?) In the meantime, we had been getting a good supply of rhubarb from both our CSA and from my grandma’s garden in Western PA. So I already had lots of ideas about what to do with the rhubarb once I got it into the kitchen. But, just in case you don’t have a pile of rhubarb recipes hanging around your kitchen…or you want some new ones to try this year….read on….
So what do you do with rhubarb anyway? (For starters, don’t eat the leaves. They are poisonous!) I feel like rhubarb is one of those foods where you either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. But I admit that it has a very tart flavor that usually needs to be combined with something sweet to balance out the flavors. If you’ve seen rhubarb at the grocery store or farmer’s market and wondered what in the world it could be used for…here are four of my favorite ways to use rhubarb in a recipe at this time of year. Also, since rhubarb is only in season for a small percentage of the year, I usually take all that I can get and then chop up the extra and freeze it in quart-size Ziploc bags so that I can pull it out of the freezer and use it all year long in muffin or dessert recipes.
Rhubarb Muffins: A classic favorite in our house. (I actually have about four different rhubarb muffin recipes that I like to make so it was difficult to narrow it down to just one for this post!)
Rhubarb Sauce: Similar to applesauce but a bit more tart so it helps to serve it with something sweet, such as with ice cream for dessert or maybe in your oatmeal for breakfast with some sliced strawberries. It comes from one of my all-time favorite seasonal cookbooks: Simply in Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. Also, this is another great example of a way to preserve your rhubarb for later in the year because it freezes very well.
Rhubarb Mint Iced Tea: A simple, refreshing recipe to make and keep in your fridge for when you want to cool down and relax after digging in the garden under the hot sun all afternoon. Rhubarb is very high in vitamin C so you can consider this a yummy way to take your vitamins and stay healthy!
Strawberry-Rhubarb Sangria: If you needed a reason to throw an early summer party or are looking for a recipe to make and bring to a Memorial Day party this weekend – here it is! You have to try this recipe!
That’s it for now…I could have kept posting rhubarb recipes all day but I thought it best to control the madness. If you have a favorite rhubarb recipe that is not included here, please share the love!
I hope you enjoy this beautiful, rejuvenating time of year and try a new recipe or two!
AuthorMaria[cooked-sharing]
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup yogurt
¾ cup honey
¼ cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
2
Combine dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients (egg through vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in rhubarb and nuts. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
3
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Enjoy!
CategoryMuffins, Spring, Vegetarian
Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup yogurt
¾ cup honey
¼ cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
2
Combine dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients (egg through vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in rhubarb and nuts. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
3
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Enjoy!
AuthorMaria[cooked-sharing]
4 cups rhubarb, chopped
½ cup honey
1 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Let stand for 10 minutes or until some juice forms. Heat slowly to boiling. Cool and serve or store in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to use. Enjoy!
CategoryDairy-Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Side Dish, Spring, Vegetarian
Ingredients
4 cups rhubarb, chopped
½ cup honey
1 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
1
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Let stand for 10 minutes or until some juice forms. Heat slowly to boiling. Cool and serve or store in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to use. Enjoy!
AuthorMaria[cooked-sharing]
8 rhubarb stalks, cut into 3-inch lengths
8 cups water
⅓ cup honey
8 large sprigs mint, plus extra for garnish
1
In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add mint sprigs and simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and stir in honey to dissolve. Allow to cool. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint. Enjoy!
CategoryBeverages, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Spring, Vegetarian
Ingredients
8 rhubarb stalks, cut into 3-inch lengths
8 cups water
⅓ cup honey
8 large sprigs mint, plus extra for garnish
Directions
1
In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add mint sprigs and simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and stir in honey to dissolve. Allow to cool. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint. Enjoy!
AuthorMaria[cooked-sharing]
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
½ cup water
2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 orange, halved and sliced
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
750 ml bottle sparkling wine (such as Prosecco), chilled
1
In a small saucepan, combine honey or maple syrup with water. Bring to a boil and add rhubarb. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (Transfer to a heatproof bowl, if necessary, to cool faster.)
2
Meanwhile, in a pitcher or large bowl, combine orange juice, orange slices, and strawberries. To serve, add cooled rhubarb mixture, sparkling wine, and ice. Enjoy!
CategoryBeverages, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Spring, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
½ cup water
2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 orange, halved and sliced
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
750 ml bottle sparkling wine (such as Prosecco), chilled
Directions
1
In a small saucepan, combine honey or maple syrup with water. Bring to a boil and add rhubarb. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (Transfer to a heatproof bowl, if necessary, to cool faster.)
2
Meanwhile, in a pitcher or large bowl, combine orange juice, orange slices, and strawberries. To serve, add cooled rhubarb mixture, sparkling wine, and ice. Enjoy!
Related Posts
We are enjoying fresh rhubarb from the Amish farms here in the Hershey area. There are markets every day except Monday and Thursday. I also have been loving the fresh beets, corn and asparagus, in addition to the rhubarb!
See you on Sunday!
It was great catching up with you guys on Memorial Day weekend! Glad to hear that you are enjoying your stay in PA!
Omg! Maria I miss you and your gardening and cooking tips so so much! These are wonderful and I can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and awesome
Recipes!
Larissa! I was just thinking how much I am missing those mindfulness Mondays that we went to together. Hope to catch up with you and your boys soon!
We do have a favorite!
Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients:
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c oil (I use half applesauce)
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c rhubarb, chopped
Topping: 1/4 c sugar, 2tsp cinnamon (I also add 1/2 c choco chips on top
Mix all ingredients, Sprinkle topping before baking. Bake 35-45 min.
Mmmm…sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing!
Hmm… somehow I’ve never been priviledged to try the homemade sangria… guess it doesn’t last that long 😉 Love you!
Haha, yes, that one goes very quickly! But I am happy to make your own personal pitcher of sangria next time we are together! 😉