yes, i’m still workin’ on preserving all that rhubarb…
this is a new one for me and i’m quite excited about it. i was inspired by these ladies over here, and this one here too!
the very cool thing is that ‘beenas can be made all summer with each new fruit as it bursts into season. that means by the end of the summer you can have a tidy little ‘beena selection tucked away in your larder. and throughout the year, whenever the spirit moves you, you can enjoy the tastes of summer! simply dilute to taste with spring or sparkling water.
…that’s assuming of course that you have any left after all of the insane-in-the-membrane cocktail parties you’ll be throwing all summer once you are moved to put a little spirit in the mix. simply dilute spirits to taste with rhubeena.
know what i’m sayin?
rhubeena
adapted from the river cottage preserves handbook
4 1/2 pounds rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3-4 cups sugar (approximately)
jelly bag and strainer, or tight-weaved cheesecloth or butter muslin & strainer
canning bottles or jarsyield: approximately 1 & 1/2 quarts
1. add chopped rhubarb & 1/2 pint water to a non-reactive pan. heat on medium, partially covered, and bring to a simmer. let simmer until all the rhubarb has softened – about 45 minutes.
2. while rhubarb is cooking place jelly bag or cheescloth in a small pan of water and bring to the boil, let boil for 10 minutes to sterilize.
3. once sterilized squeeze excess water from jelly bag and place on stand over a large bowl. if using cheese cloth place over a strainer propped over a bowl. place cooked rhubarb in cloth and let drip overnight.
4. next morning prepare your jars & canner. while jars are heating, measure the rhubarb liquid. for every quart of juice add a scant 3 cups of sugar.
5. warm the juice & sugar mixture on low heat until the sugar has melted, turn the heat to medium-high and bring the the boil. boil for one minute.
6. fill jars and hot water bath process for 10 minutes.*
to skip the hot water bath preserving, rhubeena can be placed directly in fridge upon cooling. however for longer shelf life in the fridge, i recommend sterilizing the jars by boiling them for 10 minutes before filling.
pawnote:
*when hot water bath preserving rhubeena the headspace should be 1/2 inch. as you can see in my photo above, my headspace is more like an inch. don’t be fooled by the little bubbles that are on top when you place the hot liquid into jars, as apparently i was.
they appear to have sealed just fine, but sometimes with too much headspace the keeping time is cut short because not all the air has been expelled.
you know what that means?
…to be on the safe side i better cocktail it up!
pronto!
summer 2011 update:
i cut it down to 2 cups of sugar per quart and found the sweet/sour balance more to my taste.
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I made a compote for the can jam but this is what I wanted to make and wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing it. Now I just need to find some more rhubarb.
putting by – i'll send you some!
…i'm just about to go outside and cut down a bushel for freezing. but seriously, do try this if you can, it is quite delicious!
How fun to have partly inspired you to make this and now find myself so inspired to make your rhubarb version! I see a weekend project coming up! The canning circle completes. Viva the canvolution. And long live the can jam.
I know you are canning here, Tigress, but in a pinch, we jar it up and stack the jars in the freezer, add ginger or vanilla vodka (citrus flavor in a pinch) and you got yerself a fine rhubarbtini!
Your recipe calls for 3 – 4 cups sugar, but according to the directions (and yield) you would have used about a scant 1 and 1/2 cups? Obviously I can adjust the sugar but just wondering if you meant to say add 1 scant cup per pint of juice?
kaela – thanks so much for catching that typo! it should be a scant 3 cups for each quart, or of course, to taste. but you do want a syrup. i added 3 3/4 cups of sugar to the liter & 1/4 juice that i extracted from the rhubarb (my containers measure in liters, and quarts are just a tad smaller). ..again, thanks for catching that – it's fixed!
innbrooklyn – yes, it is very fun to be inspired by each other!
ma newcomer – mmmm…rhubarbtini!
and don't worry, the freezer is my friend too!
I did a version of this too and I'll be serving it with vodka at our Gleaning Screening tonight!
http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/
When I saw the first picture in your post I had to laugh because one of my can jamming projects this months looks just like yours. Same color, same jars ;o). So did you taste it? How do you like it?
callieK – sounds great! if i was there i would be there!
ap269 – i did taste it! and i love it. i have been drinking it diluted with 1 part rhubeena to 4 parts spring water and it is delicious! …i am very much looking forward to making rhubaritas with it!
Do you mind letting me know the recipe for rhubarita? Tequila with rhubarb cordial?
Please, oh please, can you tell me where you got those awesome bottles?
@Mrs.Modecai: where are you located? If in Europe you can get WECK jars here, they (Germany-based company) ship internationally: http://www.glaeserundflaschen.de. For North America I don't know, but Tigress probably can tell you…
Especially love the second shot of the bottle tops and so reassured by your headspace comments. Last month same thing happened to me; thought I'd filled the flasks to the top and then they settled and left a big gap. Lovely lovely rhubarb. What's not to like?
I love, love, love your canning bottles. may i ask where you get them from?
ap269 – i have not made a rhubarita yet, but i love margaritas so i was going to try to make some this summer. i will report back once i do. i think it will take some tinkering…but yes there will be tequila involved!
mrs mordecai & tina – the united states distributer is http://www.weckcanning.com or you can find some of the styles at lehmans.com
gloria – that dang headspace!
yes, rhubarb, it's growing on me everyday…literally!
I want to make some just so that I can have those jars sitting on the shelf. The Weck order page is tabbed. Enabler.
Rhubarb cocktails were a huge success- I ran out of cordial very quickly. Must make more and I must say I like rhubeena as a name- I think it's a keeper!
I also have a stash of rhubarb cordial in the larder. Last night I did rhubarb gin fizzes. Highly recommended!! Super cold, no ice, in a cute little glass. So civilized! Go, Tigress, slay the mighty rhubarb!
our local paper the South Bend Tribune in Indiana publishes a column written by an Amish woman. Its all about her life on an Amish farm with her family. They just finished "putting up" their rhubarb juice, jelly, and sauce for the year. just shows to go ya, nothing is new.
I love all the beautiful colors everyone is getting from their rhubarb! I wish we could get more down here in Florida.
terri – i'm sorry!
calliek – so glad they were a success! the name stems from ribena – a manufactured black currant cordial in europe. but i think we should end all our fruit cordials with 'beena!
julia – mmmm! that sounds wunderbar!
konnie – sounds like a very interesting column. and yes, we're bringin' it back!
elle ross – …but you have us beat on the citrus!
Rhubarb margaratias are my favorite part of summer-though I have never canned the liquid because I always drink it first. I put some cubes of ice in the glass (I use about a 6 oz glass, add a shot of tequila or so, and then top with rhubarb juice. Simple and super tasty!
I love this idea. Do you have advice on how to do it with other fruits?
Those Weck jars are lovely, I need to get some. I make a similar concentrate and it's delicious
http://fessendenfarmstead.blogspot.com/2010/05/rhubarb-spritzer.html
Oh, I thought I was feeling okay that my rhubarb died, but now I'm not at all! This is so beautiful. I will use the recipe for other fruits, for sure. Thank you!
I did the rhubarb cordial last year, and will again this year, we are behind you on our rhubarb readiness. I have 2 jars of rhubarb juice left from last year, and there are plenty of good ideas here: rhubarb gin fizz? Yes, please!
I made a syrup this spring out of lawn violets. (very delicate and very pretty) I plan on doing the same with rose petals this June.
Is there anything that you can do with the solids once they've drained? I'd hate to waste all that rhubarb goodness…
Rhubarita's were a big hit here last weekend at our Appalachian Porch Party. My recommendation for a great source for indulging in bottle obsessions (in the USA) is SKS Bottle. You have to order quantities but can you ever have too many jars or bottles??
Would a steam juicer work instead of simmering-straining the rhubarb?
Question: How is it that yours is such a beautiful red? I'm making some and its such a gross grey color! But my rhubarb was not as red…am I harvesting at the incorrect time?
hk – you probably have the green variety. which i actually do also, mine are mostly green but have some red stalks. i was careful to choose only the red stalks for this as i wanted the color to be bright. i don't believe you have are harvesting too early, it's your variety. i prefer the green variety as even when the stalks get very large they are delicious!
What size of jars did you use? The 1/2 L?
yes, i used the 1/2 liter jars from weck.
I was in the middle of making this and left it cooling on my counter. I asked my husband to let it cool a bit more and then place it in the fridge while I went for a walk. I returned to the basket that was suppose to strain over night tossed and about 3.5 cups of liquid in a bowl. Can I still continue with adding the sugar and canning it?
Thanks for your input.
ouch! i’m sorry to hear that. basically your husband just got rid of it too soon and you lost some liquid that you otherwise could have had. but never you mind because you certainly can continue on with the sugar and the canning! get to it!
Thank you. I was concerned it might not be safe to can since I did not get a lot of liquid. I added 1 cup of sugar since I only had 3.5 cups and boiled for 10 minutes in half-pints. I think that is safe enough. Right? Or should I put them right in the fridge?
that sounds perfect!
I was just about to order some of those gorgeous jars, when I had a thought – how do you re-close them once opened?? Or do you need to use the clips?
you need to use the clips! don’t know why i’m just seeing this now!