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Looking for ways to use and preserve Rhubarb? I’ve got delicious recipes for you!
Spring on a northern homestead, what a wonderful time of year! In many gardens, the first small harvests begin to happen. Along with Asparagus and Jerusalem Artichokes, another early plant in our gardens is Rhubarb, which we usually start picking in June.
And Rhubarb is a beautiful plant too, so you can easily tuck it in a corner of any flower bed. With its gorgeous huge green leaves, it makes a great backdrop for flowering plants in front.
Mid Spring is peak season for harvesting Rhubarb – whether you grow it in your garden or buy it at the farmer’s market, here are several ways to preserve rhubarb for using later.
Here are 8 great ways to use and preserve Rhubarb (with help from some of my awesome gardening friends).
8 Ways to Use and Preserve Rhubarb
Growing Rhubarb
If you haven’t grown Rhubarb before, you may want to know more about how to plant and take care of Rhubarb. Here’s an article I wrote years ago about how to grow Rhubarb. Since it is a perennial, you just plant it once and watch it return every single year.
rhubarb 
How great is that? Not only is it an inexpensive plant, you get to harvest Rhubarb every spring.
If picked yearly, the plants will live for decades. And you’ll be able to use Rhubarb in delicious recipes like the ones below.
Some of you know that we really enjoy making a batch or two of Rhubarb Wine each year. Isn’t it a pretty colour?
We also blend Rhubarb with berries such as Raspberries and Honeyberries, and end up with a tasty Bumbleberry wine.
We use some of our harvest in crisp, cobblers or pies, mixed with berries to add some delicious sweetness. There are a lot of other great ways to use it too. Here are lots of delicious recipes from some gardening friends! Enjoy!
How to Use and Preserve Rhubarb
How to Freeze Rhubarb
Freezing Rhubarb is a great way to preserve it! And it’s easy to do; pick the stalks by grabbing low to the base and then twist to break it off. This is much better than cutting the rhubarb stalks.
Wash stalks, then cut into smaller pieces. Since we like to use frozen rhubarb in our fruit crisps, I dice the stalks into small pieces, then put the rhubarb pieces into a freezer bag or an airtight freezer container.
Most of our fruit crisp recipes call for 4 cups of fruit. Since we like to mix rhubarb with a berry to make crisp, I measure out the diced rhubarb into 2 cup measures before adding to the freezer bag.
Seal the bag, pop into the freezer. When it’s time to use it, we just pull out a bag of frozen rhubarb, let it thaw, then bake or cook with it.
If you like, cut the rhubarb larger, into 1-inch pieces, place in a single layer on baking trays, then pop them in the freezer.
Once frozen, you can transfer them to an container with a tight fitting lid.
We love the flavor of the mixture of rhubarb with strawberries, raspberries or honeyberries.
Pressure Can Rhubarb
Want to learn how to pressure can Rhubarb so you can enjoy it all year long? Home canned rhubarb is a really good way to use some of the harvest, especially if you have large plants that need to be picked. Process pints for use all year round.
We like to use a pint jar for canning Rhubarb but if you have a large family, you may want to can Rhubarb in quart jars instead.
This winter, you’ll be able to grab a jar or two from your pantry and bake a rhubarb crisp or a pie. Or grab a couple of quarts of rhubarb to make a pie.
(Courtesy of Back to Our Roots)
Rhubarb Crisp
Why not bake a delicious Rhubarb Crisp? You can use all Rhubarb for the recipe or mix it up with blueberries or strawberries! Makes a delicious dessert topped with some ice cream!
(Courtesy of Better Hens and Gardens)
Rhubarb Sauce
Or think of whipping up some yummy Rhubarb Sauce you can use for desserts or an evening treat? Wouldn’t this Rhubarb Syrup be great over ice cream, pancakes or waffles?
Or pour some over homemade cakes, loaves or your morning yogurt.
(Courtesy of Learning and Yearning)
Rhubarb Ice Cream
Speaking of ice cream, have you ever tried Rhubarb Ice Cream, anyone? I am definitely trying this one! Get the kids to help make it, then grab a big bowl!
(Courtesy of Yearning and Learning)
Rhubarb Juice
How about some canned Rhubarb juice? This is so refreshing when mixed with ginger ale – perfect on a hot summer afternoon. And the pretty pink colour!
(Courtesy of Grace Garden and Homestead)
Fermented Rhubarb
How about some Fermented Rhubarb? Probiotic Rhubarb Lemonade anyone? Great for your health and tastes a lot like regular Rhubarb. Use some in muffins!
(Courtesy of They’re Not Our Goats)
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Want to make some jam so you can stock your pantry shelves? Try this easy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam!
Making this jam uses a water bath canning method, so you can safely store your extra jars for winter (or anytime, really). Recipe makes about 6 pints of jam.
(Courtesy of Simply Canning)
Try one (or more!) of these 8 ways to use and preserve Rhubarb.
Even one Rhubarb plant will give you a nice big harvest every year. If you have a family, you may want two plants. But pick up some Rhubarb plants this year and start growing! You’ll be glad you did.
More tips for growing Rhubarb
Everything you want to know about how to grow Rhubarb
Tips for how to harvest Rhubarb in spring
What to do with the Rhubarb flower stalk and the big Rhubarb leaves
Updated tips for making Rhubarb Wine
Want to find out which are The 5 Easiest Vegetables to Grow?
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published May 19 2017, updated Jun 2022