StillSmart

Anyone else had a bumber crop this year?
I'm tired of eating it and finding new uses for it.
I still have some in the freezer from last year, so that was a worthwhile activity,
not!

Robert.

Rhubarb & Vanilla jam.....I made a load year before last and gave jars to family & friends and they all said it was wonderful.

Only a few months back on the tv a company (I think from Canada) they are renowned for their jam....shipped all over. They went around the factory and you got to see the making of their R&V jam.

You can preserve it as a chutney - if you like the stuff.

You can use it as a component in wine but the acidity is quite high.

I bottled a rhubarb and apple cider yesterday...

I did Rhubarb and Strawberry chutney last year.
I can't give it away, not because it tastes bad, it just sounds bad!
I may get it all eaten before I die.
Oh! Hold on!
I keep telling nearest and dearest to burn me in the cheapest coffin that they can buy or make, if I leave a body behind.
Some of our Rhubarb is BIG.
Dry it and make a Rhubarb coffin!
I may finally have lost it;
But I'll dry a few sticks and see how it burns...
Sounds eco friendly to me.
Robert.

Rhubarb season is with us again so this is what I make with mine.

If I have a glut, I make Rhubarb sorbet. Chop up the rhubarb, skin included and put in a pan with sugar to your own taste. I like it quite sharp, but if you like it sweet, slightly over sweeten it as I find the sweetness more difficult to pick up in a frozen dessert. If you want, add a vanilla pod or two and soften it right down with a little water or pure apple/orange juice until its a mush. Pass it through a sieve and let it cool.

Once cool whisk up a couple of egg whites into soft peaks and gently fold it into the cooled rhubarb puree. Do it gently, otherwise it will knock the air out of the whites. Put it in something like an ice cream container and stick it in the freezer with a lid on top. Leave for about 90 minutes and then take out and stir gently. Do this again every hour two or three more times until it has frozen solid. Doing this prevents large ice crystals forming and making the sorbet gritty.

When needed, take out of the freezer about half an hour before you need it, or until its easily scooped into balls or taken out with a spoon.

This makes a refreshing change to ice cream in the warmer weather, and imo is much tastier than the stuff bought in shops.

EDIT: This sorbet seems to store very well. I had some a few nights ago that was made this time last year and it tastes no different to when I first made it.

If you have an ice cream maker, just follow the instructions for making sorbet instead of following the freezing process.