Rhubarb Juice

Posted on 25 March 2012 by Carrie Cahill Mulligan

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.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Posted on 24 March 2012 by Carrie Cahill Mulligan

I love to bake, and strawberry rhubarb pie is hard to beat.

Nothing has the sweet taste of summer like fresh strawberry rhubarb pie.

You can use a pre-made crust, but nothing tops the Joy of Cooking‘s Deluxe Flakey Pastry. Sure, it’s full of butter. But it’s pastry! That’s the point of pastry, right?

Making your own pie crust isn't as hard as you might think, and it tastes even better than it looks!

You don’t need fancy pastry-making tools. For years, I made my pie crust with 2 forks and an empty wine bottle for a rolling pin. Don’t let the lack of special tools deter you!

Approach pastry making with the enthusiasm of a child & it's hard to go wrong.

Once you’ve got your pastry, it’s time for the filling. I’m a no-fuss sort of baker, and I like the simple recipes provided on the back of the Minute Tapioca box.

They offer a great starting point, especially if you’re new to baking fruit pies.

Plus, I prefer tapioca over corn starch as a thickener.

Here’s my modified recipe:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Pastry for 2 crusts

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 – 1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
zest of 1 orange

Mix together fruit, sugar, tapioca & zest. Let stand 15 minutes.

Line pie dish with pastry. Fill with fruit. Dot with 1 Tablespoon butter. Top with 2nd pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits on top to allow steam to escape.

Bake ~45 minutes at 400F degrees, until juices bubble and crust is golden.

Golden pastry crust with a sprinkle of sugar... Mmmm!

If you use frozen fruit, add another 1/2 cup or so (each) to make up for the air space in your measuring cup. Do not allow fruit to thaw completely, or you’ll end up with some very wet filling.

Both rhubarb and strawberries keep beautifully in the freezer. For rhubarb, simply wash the stalks, cut into 1/2 inch chunks and toss into a plastic bag.

Strawberries will retain their individuality if frozen on a cookie sheet without touching.

For strawberries, I prefer to set individual fruits out on a cookie sheet to freeze, then toss into plastic bag. Freezing first on a cookie sheet helps the fruit stay in individual pieces.

Mmm... local strawberries picked at the height of ripeness ready to be frozen for later use.

So there you have it… Fresh strawberry rhubarb pie made easy.

Homemade strawberry rhubarb pie is absolutely worth the effort.

If you’ve never had it before, I encourage you to give it a try. Then come back and tell me what you think. I’d be astonished if it wasn’t at the top of your favorite treats.

Apple Rhubarb Marmalade

Posted on 23 March 2012 by Carrie Cahill Mulligan

Since rhubarb made its Spring debut in my garden this week, I thought I’d share some favorite rhubarb recipes, starting with a delicious jam.

A cold-loving plant, rhubarb thrives in the North Country without a lot of fuss.

I got this simple recipe from the UAF Extension Service’s rhubarb recipes handout.

By the end of May, my rhubarb patch is in full production.

(They also publish a helpful flier on growing rhubarb.)

Rhubarb is a hearty perennial that produces well into August in my garden.

I’ve made this jam for over 14 years, and often wondered why it’s called “marmalade” when there isn’t any citrus peel included.

I picked nearly 10 lbs. of rhubarb to share at music camp last summer.

However, after searching online, I concluded that “marmalade” can simply mean any jam-like fruit preserve. Besides, rhubarb has a distinctly citrus-y taste.

"Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds & the bees, please!" - Joni Mitchell

Plus, it’s just fun to say “Apple Rhubarb Marmalade” out loud (go on, give it whirl…), so I’ll keep the name. Just know you won’t need any citrus peel for this preserve.

You will, however, need some apples. We have 3 old apple trees, so I try to use our own.

I make a game of trying to remove an apple's peel in one long spiral.

So, without further ado, I give you:

Apple Rhubarb Marmalade

3½ cups sugar
5 cups rhubarb stalks, cut fine
5 cups apples, peeled & sliced thin

Place alternate layers of sugar and rhubarb in a glass bowl. Let stand overnight.
In the morning, add the apples and simmer 1½ to 2 hours.
Pour boiling hot into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Adjust caps.

Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath.

Yields 6 half pints.

Putting up my own fruit preserves feels like money in the bank come winter.

Simple and delicious!

What about you? Do you have a favorite rhubarb recipe? Do you make other preserves?

Carrie Cahill Mulligan

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Category Archives: Recipes

Rhubarb Juice

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Apple Rhubarb Marmalade