Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Rhubarb is by far my favorite garden crop, beating out my tomatoes, peaches and berries. It's easy to grow and if fertilized well can provide over 3 months of harvest. Strawberry- rhubarb pies, crumbles and sauces have always been my go- to recipes until a close family friend gifted us her batch of rhubarb simple syrup. A sweet, tart and rose-colored elixir made simply from the juices of the rhubarb, water and sugar adds a flavor depth you don't find in most cocktails or mocktails. My preferred combination is adding the syrup to seltzer for a rhubarb spritzer. A real treat at the end of a hot summer day.

This recipe depends on the amount of rhubarb you can harvest or buy. The general proportions I have found to work are:

9 quarts chopped rhubarb (18 stalks): 3 quarts water: 5 cups sugar

INGREDIENTS

• Rhubarb stalks (as many as you can get)
• Sugar (white refined or turbinado)
• Water

SUPPLIES

• Large stainless- steel pot to boil down the rhubarb (10 quart). *Because rhubarb is acidic it may discolor aluminium or copper pots.
• Fine- mesh sieve
• Silicon or Stainless- Steel Ladle

SUPPLIES for PRESERVING

If you intend on preserving your batch also include:

• Large pot (at least 20 quarts) to pre- sterilize the supplies and sterilize the bottled syrup
• Silicone funnel
• Quart canning jars (4.5 quart jars yielded from 9 quarts of rhubarb chunks)
• Ball Secure- Grip Jar Lifter (very helpful to avoid boiling fingers when adding/ removing jars)
• *Neodynium magnet on a string (helpful to remove lids when sterilizing although not necessary)

To make this recipe worthwhile you should harvest or purchase a large bunch of rhubarb.

In the image I have cut a medium- sized garden hod (basket) of around 40 stalks of rhubarb.

If yo are heavesting, only use stalks that are rigid. Use a sharp knife to cut off the stalk at the base and then cut off the leaves. The leaves contain oxalic acid and are poisonous to consume!

Wash away any garden grime and cut away questionable spots.

Cut your rhubarb into 1-2 inch pieces. These smaller pieces will simmer down faster.

Fill your pot 4/5 full of rhubarb pieces and then add enough water to just reach the top of the rhubarb.

*In my image I have a 10 quart pot with 9 quarts/ 36 cups or rhubarb. I ended up adding 3 quarts of water to reach the "rhubarb top".

Add your sugar. Because this is a syrup, this is meant to be very sweet.

*I added 5 cups of sugar in the 10 quart pot. I wouldn't add any less because this will be diluted in your drinks.

Set your stove top on medium- low heat. The rhubarb has a tendency to boil over if you are not careful. I've been known to walk away and forget. It's not uncommon for me to sprint back to the kitchen after hearing the gushing boil-over and smelling the scorched sugar water on the burner.

To avoid boil- over be sure to keep the lid off and to stir the rhubarb. Stirring allows the heat to dissipate and not stay trapped underneath, waiting for you to leave the kitchen and then explode like a volcano.

Once it has reached a boil set the burner down low to barely simmer. This should take around an hour until all the pieces are very soft.

To allow the rhubarb to break down completely and extract all the juices, turn off the burner and remove the pot off the burner.

Add the lid and let it sit for several hours. I usually will cook the rhubarb the evening before and then preserve it the following morning.

If you plan on preserving your delectable drink you will want to sterilize your containers.

In your large sterilization pot, start boiling up the water- slightly more than 3/4 full.

Wash your lids, jars, funnel and ladle in very hot water.

When the pot water boils dip as many of the your supplies in the pot for at least 5 minutes and then set aside.*

The secure- grip bottle lifter is a hand- saver when you retrieve the jars from the boiling pot.

A neodynium magnet on a string also is very helpful when trying to fish out the screw- on lids.

Once everything has been sterilized, ladle the rhubarb mash into a strainer over a large bowl.

Using the ladle, agitate and press the mash into the sieve.

There will be some fiber particulate that still makes it through.

Even though it may look like there is still liquid to extract, toss the mash and repeat.

*I've tried using a juicer and a food processor and have found the liquid remaining to be insignificant. The extra processing is much messier and involves much more cleaning up afterwards.

Once the juice has been extracted use the funnel to ladle it into the preserving jars. Leave about a 2 inch space below the lid to allow for better preservation results.

To avoid exploding your jars while they become pressurized, make sure the lids are loose. You should be able to carefully hold the jar by its lid and still turn the lid back and forth on the thread with ease.

Make sure your containers are fully submerged in the the boil pot, with water cresting over the lids if possible.

When the water is actively boiling set a timer for 10 minutes.

When done boiling, use the secure- grip jar lifter to remove the jars from the water bath and set aside.

Loosen the threads and let the containers sit. You should hear "popping" as the lids pressure- seal.

When the containers cool, tighten the threaded lids. Any non- popped jars can be preserved again or simply be used first and not stored.

Once opened, your simple syrup can last in the fridge for at least 1 week. I usually polish off a bottle in 2 days so it's never been sitting for that long.

Ways to Enjoy!

Mix with seltzer for a rhubarb spritzer (1:5 ratio).

Mix with seltzer for a rhubarb soda pop (1:3 ratio)

Mix with ginger beer or lemonade with a splash of seltzer for a more exotic soda pop.

Make a rhubarb margarita.

Make a rhubarb mimosa.

More fancy rhubarb syrup drinks.

Nerd out with some rhubarb facts-

Contains antioxidants, vitamin A, potassium & calcium oxalate. One cup of cooked rhubarb has more calcium than a cup of cow milk, although plant- based calcium oxalate is less- bioavailable.

If you're prone to kidney stones, you should avoid rhubarb, with it's calcium oxalate.