Rhubarb can survive on very little care. However, eventually, the plant’s stalks get scrawny, thin and numerous, indicating it’s time to divide the crowns.
I suppose that’s how the previous residents of our house ended up with so much rhubarb. It’s like a botanical Ponzi scheme.
Quinn-dog and our super-productive, old-growth rhubarb patch.
If you’re lucky enough to have more rhubarb than you can give away, freeze, or turn into jam and pies, you’ll need another recipe. I have just the thing:
Rhubarb Juice
Add 2 cups water to 4 quarts cut up rhubarb.
Simmer 5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft.
Strain through a cheesecloth.
Add 1 cup sugar to juice and simmer until dissolved.
Yields approximately 1 quart.
(Recipe courtesy the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.)
I love this sweet & tangy juice. I often mix it with seltzer for a refreshing homemade “soda”, or else add equal parts rhubarb juice and iced tea, to get a New England variety of the beloved Arnold Palmer.
One more tip: when cleaning your rhubarb, be sure not to cut too much off the base of the stalks, since that’s the sweetest part.
This abundant harvest hardly makes a dent in our never-ending rhubarb supply.
Carrie Cahill Mulligan 