Here in the Midwest it’s common for every homestead, farm, or country property to have their own patch of rhubarb. It’s a fast growing spring veggie (or fruit!) and it’s a welcomed first harvest.
Rhubarb is tart and sprightly, and can be frozen in many ways– here are 4 of my favorite ways to freeze rhubarb! I’ll link the full video tutorial if you want to see the step by step directions for all 4 methods.
If you like freezing produce, you’ll love my book Freeze Fresh. It walks you through unique and interesting ways to freeze (and use) over 55 different fruits and veggies! Get it –> here!
This just might be my favorite rhubarb preparation because it feels old-fashioned or rustic… or like something you’d be served at a quaint farm in the Italian countryside. It’s also super easy to make! The rhubarb pieces have a unique dense and firm yet soft texture. They are swimming in a sweet pink syrup with vanilla bean speckles and it’s just lovely. This is my favorite thing to eat on a bowl of yogurt.
Brown Sugar Roasted Rhubarb Recipe
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, ½ vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup firmly packed brown sugar or honey
¼ teaspoon sea salt
8 cups cut rhubarb stalks, in 1-inch pieces (about 2¼ pounds)
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. If using a vanilla bean, split the bean in half lengthwise, and use the tip of a small knife to scrape out all the seeds into a small bowl. Mix together the vanilla bean seeds, sugar, and salt. (If using paste or extract, proceed to Step 3 instead).
3. Place the rhubarb in a large bowl. Fold the sugar, vanilla, and salt into the rhubarb, then let it sit 15 minutes to macerate. Stir again, then pour the rhubarb into an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Push down the rhubarb pieces, so they are nestled in their juices.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is bubbly and tender.
5. To freeze: Cool before freezing. Spoon the rhubarb and its juices into freezer containers. Roasted rhubarb packs best in rigid containers.
MY FAVORITE FREEZER CONTAINERS –> get them here!
(These are reusable for years, and protect food against freezer burn very well.)
It seems to me that fruit sauces often focus on late-season fall fruits like apples and pears, but this sunny combination of strawberries and rhubarb is deserving of a little freezer space– its a fantastic way to freeze rhubarb! The ration of strawberries to rhubarb is very forgiving and you can definitely play around with it. You can make it a rhubarb strawberry sauce with more rhubarb than strawberries if you want. This freezer strawberry rhubarb sauce is only lightly just sweet, so feel free to adjust sweetness to your taste.
Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce Recipe
8 cups cut strawberries, halved if medium and quartered if large
4 cups chopped rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1. Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft and easily mashed, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mash the strawberries and rhubarb to break it up a bit if it’s still very chunky.
2. To freeze: Cool before freezing. This sauce packs well in freezer bags or rigid containers.
MY FAVORITE FREEZER CONTAINERS –> get them here!
(These are reusable for years, and protect food against freezer burn very well.)
This is a really fun recipe and a great way to use this Strawberry Rhubarb sauce. You just need the sauce plus some lightly sweetened vanilla yogurt. I like greek yogurt because its thicker and I like the extra protein… but use whatever you like. Instead of yogurt you can use a light drizzle of sweetened heavy cream or canned coconut milk instead. It’s hard to mess up a popsicle.
Strawberry Rhubarb & Yogurt Popsicles Recipes
2 cups Strawberry Rhubarb sauce
~1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2. Once the popsicle molds are filled (this makes 4-6 popsicles, depending on the size), use a butter knife to lightly swirl it around just a little bit to create some fun swoops and swirls and mesh all the layers together.
3. Add wooden popsicles sticks and freeze overnight.
MY FAVORITE POPSICLE MOLD –> get it here!
(I love that each pop mold can be take out individually so you don’t have to thaw all of them to remove one.)
If you’re wondering if you can freeze plain rhubarb: yes, absolutely! Frozen rhubarb can be used for cakes, pies, or even to make sauce later (though I prefer to make and freeze the sauce if I have time).
Do you need to blanch or cook rhubarb before freezing it? No, you do NOT need to cook or blanch it before freezing!
There are 2 great methods for how to freeze rhubarb:
1. Cut into 1-inch pieces and pack it raw and fresh into freezer bags, remove the air from the bag, and then freeze it. You’ll need to thaw the entire package in order to use it, so this is most useful if you’re freezing it to make something like sauce later.
2. Flash freeze rhubarb by cutting into 1-inch pieces, and placing them on parchment lined pan so they are barely touching or not touching at all. Freeze overnight and then quickly transfer to a freezer bag for storage. This is the most convenient way to freeze rhubarb if you plan on making it into a pie later– since I think it’s best made into pie filling while still partially frozen.
The post 4 Ways to Freeze Rhubarb + VIDEO appeared first on Whole-Fed Homestead.
Rhubarb is tart and sprightly, and can be frozen in many ways– here are 4 of my favorite ways to freeze rhubarb! I’ll link the full video tutorial if you want to see the step by step directions for all 4 methods.
If you like freezing produce, you’ll love my book Freeze Fresh. It walks you through unique and interesting ways to freeze (and use) over 55 different fruits and veggies! Get it –> here!
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO FREEZE RHUBARB 4 WAYS!
1. BROWN SUGAR ROASTED RHUBARB
This just might be my favorite rhubarb preparation because it feels old-fashioned or rustic… or like something you’d be served at a quaint farm in the Italian countryside. It’s also super easy to make! The rhubarb pieces have a unique dense and firm yet soft texture. They are swimming in a sweet pink syrup with vanilla bean speckles and it’s just lovely. This is my favorite thing to eat on a bowl of yogurt.
Brown Sugar Roasted Rhubarb Recipe
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, ½ vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup firmly packed brown sugar or honey
¼ teaspoon sea salt
8 cups cut rhubarb stalks, in 1-inch pieces (about 2¼ pounds)
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. If using a vanilla bean, split the bean in half lengthwise, and use the tip of a small knife to scrape out all the seeds into a small bowl. Mix together the vanilla bean seeds, sugar, and salt. (If using paste or extract, proceed to Step 3 instead).
3. Place the rhubarb in a large bowl. Fold the sugar, vanilla, and salt into the rhubarb, then let it sit 15 minutes to macerate. Stir again, then pour the rhubarb into an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Push down the rhubarb pieces, so they are nestled in their juices.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is bubbly and tender.
5. To freeze: Cool before freezing. Spoon the rhubarb and its juices into freezer containers. Roasted rhubarb packs best in rigid containers.
MY FAVORITE FREEZER CONTAINERS –> get them here!
(These are reusable for years, and protect food against freezer burn very well.)
2. STRAWBERRY RHUBARB SAUCE
It seems to me that fruit sauces often focus on late-season fall fruits like apples and pears, but this sunny combination of strawberries and rhubarb is deserving of a little freezer space– its a fantastic way to freeze rhubarb! The ration of strawberries to rhubarb is very forgiving and you can definitely play around with it. You can make it a rhubarb strawberry sauce with more rhubarb than strawberries if you want. This freezer strawberry rhubarb sauce is only lightly just sweet, so feel free to adjust sweetness to your taste.
Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce Recipe
8 cups cut strawberries, halved if medium and quartered if large
4 cups chopped rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1. Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft and easily mashed, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mash the strawberries and rhubarb to break it up a bit if it’s still very chunky.
2. To freeze: Cool before freezing. This sauce packs well in freezer bags or rigid containers.
MY FAVORITE FREEZER CONTAINERS –> get them here!
(These are reusable for years, and protect food against freezer burn very well.)
3. Strawberry Rhubarb & Yogurt Popsicles
This is a really fun recipe and a great way to use this Strawberry Rhubarb sauce. You just need the sauce plus some lightly sweetened vanilla yogurt. I like greek yogurt because its thicker and I like the extra protein… but use whatever you like. Instead of yogurt you can use a light drizzle of sweetened heavy cream or canned coconut milk instead. It’s hard to mess up a popsicle.
Strawberry Rhubarb & Yogurt Popsicles Recipes
2 cups Strawberry Rhubarb sauce
~1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- This is one of those recipes where there’s really no right or wrong way to do it, but I like to start with a scoop of sauce, then a smaller spoonful of yogurt (about 1/4 the amount of sauce), then scoop of sauce, a spoonful of yogurt… you get the idea.
2. Once the popsicle molds are filled (this makes 4-6 popsicles, depending on the size), use a butter knife to lightly swirl it around just a little bit to create some fun swoops and swirls and mesh all the layers together.
3. Add wooden popsicles sticks and freeze overnight.
MY FAVORITE POPSICLE MOLD –> get it here!
(I love that each pop mold can be take out individually so you don’t have to thaw all of them to remove one.)
4. How to Freeze Rhubarb (raw)
If you’re wondering if you can freeze plain rhubarb: yes, absolutely! Frozen rhubarb can be used for cakes, pies, or even to make sauce later (though I prefer to make and freeze the sauce if I have time).
Do you need to blanch or cook rhubarb before freezing it? No, you do NOT need to cook or blanch it before freezing!
There are 2 great methods for how to freeze rhubarb:
1. Cut into 1-inch pieces and pack it raw and fresh into freezer bags, remove the air from the bag, and then freeze it. You’ll need to thaw the entire package in order to use it, so this is most useful if you’re freezing it to make something like sauce later.
2. Flash freeze rhubarb by cutting into 1-inch pieces, and placing them on parchment lined pan so they are barely touching or not touching at all. Freeze overnight and then quickly transfer to a freezer bag for storage. This is the most convenient way to freeze rhubarb if you plan on making it into a pie later– since I think it’s best made into pie filling while still partially frozen.
The post 4 Ways to Freeze Rhubarb + VIDEO appeared first on Whole-Fed Homestead.