Rhubarb is known for being the first vegetable ready to harvest from the spring garden. Well before strawberries or other sweet fruits are available to make jam, rhubarb stands tall, awaiting your imagination. As a first-timer, I had no idea what to do with it, so I found this simple recipe for Rhubarb Compote that can be made it under 20 minutes.
Rhubarb Compote
by Sondi Bruner
Ingredients:
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- 4 small stalks of rhubarb, chopped (perfect! Exactly what we had on hand)
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- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
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- 3 tbsp water, or more as needed
- dash of cinnamon
Method:
We used coconut sugar, as directed. The end result was a fairly sweet compote, so if you prefer a tart rhubarb spread, reduce the coconut sugar.
Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium to low heat.
We chopped up the rhubarb into half-inch pieces. Some friends advised larger pieces if a chunky compote is preferred. We just wanted it to cook faster. Heat all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium to low heat.
Some pieces took longer to break down than others. The process took about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The house is filled with the sweet scent of cinnamon during the process. In the end, this couldn’t be simpler.
I’m sure there’s some kind of trick to getting the finished product to look more attractive, probably mixing it with strawberries, but we don’t care about appearances here. Taste is what matters and wow, this stuff rocks!
The author recommends pureeing the compote to smooth it out, if desired. We like the chunks. Hey gardenerds, what’s your favorite way to prepare rhubarb. Post your ideas below.
*Let it be known that every single time I tried to write the word “compote” in this article it went like this: “compost”, back-space-back-space, “…te.”
Wash the rhubarb stem, do not peel it, and cook as stated. It hasn’t nice red color in the outer red peel is cooked.
We don’t peel our rhubarb. Some varieties are more green than red. Either way the taste is the same.
strawberry rhubarb jam, because that’s all I know how to make, but my grandma used to make rhubarb sauces, cakes and more. I’ve got to find those recipes!! 🙂 YUM!!
I saw a lot of recipes on Epicurious for strawberry rhubarb delectables. If you can’t unearth your grandma’s recipe, look at Epicurous.
Love rhubarb, one of my favorite things. My grandmother had a huge patch of it in Illinois where it grew practically wild. I’ve had no luck growing it here, any tips? I like to chop the stalks then let it macerate in just sugar for awhile (can’t remember how long – draws out a lot of liquid), then cook. Yummm.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never grown it, and it’s always been already established in gardens I’ve set up. So I’m no help there. Other gardenerds are welcome to chime in with their own success stories. Have you tried growing it from bare-root stock?