What's with all the fuss? {Rhubarb Syrup}

Rhubarb was definitely not a "thing" for me as I was growing up. It is not a typical Texas crop. I know some folks have memories of their mothers or Grannies or aunts having a rhubarb patch and eating it in the Spring, but it just isn't a standard Texas thing. I've always heard that rhubarb and strawberries are put together in simple spring desserts and that they pair well due to rhubarb's tart flavor and the sweetness of the strawberries. But, I've never actually seen rhubarb up close and personal, worked with it or tasted it. So, in an effort to remedy my ignorance, I picked up some rhubarb from the nice folks at Two Happy Children Farm and set to uncover the allure of the rhubarb.

From my reading, I learned that rhubarb is botanically a vegetable but it typically used as a "fruit" in its preparations. The portion that is used in food is the long stems, or petrioles, which are tinged deep red when ripe. The lush leaves are trimmed away as they have toxic properties and can cause skin irritation. Historically, rhubarb was used for medicinal properties by the Chinese for thousands of years. It has only been used as food relatively recently with the first recorded recipe for rhubarb appearing in 1806 or so in a cookbook written by Maria Eliza Rundell. Classified as a "super food" it has only about 7 calories per 100 grams of rhubarb and has been noted to speed up the metabolism. Additionally, it is high in calcium, so it makes a great addition to the diets of folks who are dairy-free or for anyone who is looking for a fat free source of calcium.

For my first foray into the wonderful world of rhubarb, I decided to start with a super simple recipe for a rhubarb syrup.

Rhubarb Syrup

adapted from Marissa McClellan

• 1.5 lbs of rhubarb, washed and coarsely chopped
• 3 C water
• 2.5 C white sugar
• 1 whole vanilla bean pod

1. Combine chopped rhubarb with 3 C of water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rhubarb is a mashable pulp (about 15 minutes).
2. Strain rhubarb into a large bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Let the liquid pass and drain on its own. If you mash the rhubarb to "help along" the process, you'll end up with a cloudy syrup - so, avoid if you can.
3. Discard the pulp left behind in the strainer and put the juices back into a pot. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir well. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Be sure to skim any foam that forms on top. Also, watch the mixture carefully. With such a high sugar content, once a boil starts, it can become very vigorous and boil over quickly. Turn down heat to avoid this or you'll be cleaning up a sticky mess from your stove top!.
4. Remove pot from heat and pour hot syrup into a jar for storage. (If you water bath can, this can be processed in properly prepared half-pint jars for 10 minutes.)

This made a beautiful syrup that has a tartish, citrus-like, but not, very indescribable taste. I'm looking forward to drizzling it over vanilla ice cream and over melons (when they come into season).  

I'm already looking forward to more rhubarb experimenting and have a chutney and a tart in my sights. If you've not ever used rhubarb, I recommend giving it a whirl. If you're an old-hand with rhubarb, I'd love to hear what you do with it!

Happy Cooking!

sld

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