Rhubarb pie in the summer
Rhubarb pie made by my mother
Nothing better in the winter
Than rhubarb pie after dinner!
There you go. Now you, too, can sing this song to yourself repeatedly when rhubarb comes into season.
You’re welcome.
However, today, I am not going to talk about rhubarb pie or give you a recipe for one. (Though I might sing about it still.) Rhubarb pie is delicious, but let’s face it. There’s already a gazillion and one recipes for it out there and you don’t need mine too.
What you do need, however, is fermented rhubarb. If that makes you want to gag, you should first read about the awesomeness of fermentation. If you’re still with me, then you need to try this. Honestly, fermented rhubarb doesn’t taste terribly different from regular rhubarb. Besides that, it’s easy to make and it’s good for you. So there. 🙂
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Fermented Rhubarb
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb
- 2 Tbsp whey (leftover from cheese or yogurt-making)
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt (I use this one)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Enough water to fill the jar within 1″ of the top
Simply mix all ingredients together and put in the fermenting vessel of your choice, leaving about 1″ headspace if you’re fermenting in a jar. Use a weight to ensure that the rhubarb stays beneath the brine. Install an airlock or properly burp your jars each day to allow for the venting of CO2 that builds up during the fermentation process. Allow to sit on the counter at room temperature for 4-7 days, then move to cold storage.
I use a Fermentools kit any time I ferment. It’s one of the least expensive kits out there, and you don’t need special jars or crocks because they fit on top of any wide mouth mason jar. It takes the guesswork out of fermenting for me. Less mistakes= money saved in the long run.
And of course, I promised you a Rhubarb Lemonade recipe too. This is super simple, and should use about half of the fermented rhubarb you just made, leaving you the other half to experiment with or eat straight from the jar. 🙂
Probiotic Rhubarb Lemonade
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups chopped fermented rhubarb & its juices
- 3/4 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
- More water to make a quart
- Mix sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves to make a simple syrup. Let cool and chill.
- Mix simple syrup and rhubarb in a quart sized mason jar or other container. Add cold water to make a quart total.
And that’s it! You’ve got the good juices from the fermented rhubarb in your lemonade, so you’re getting a dose of probiotics with each sip. I haven’t tried this with a “double brew” technique as you would with kombucha, but if you’re feeling adventurous, give it a go.
Try it? Like it? Let me know how it went for you!
Can frozen Rhubarb be used for this or does it have to be fresh?
Michelle, I think you could use frozen. There are two concerns- one is just that it might be mushy, which isn’t necessarily a problem. Two is that the freezing might kill off some of the good bacteria needed to kick-start a ferment. However, I consulted with a couple fermenting friends and they seem to think that the whey would be enough to still get it to properly ferment. So the short answer is you could try it, and I think it will work, but I can’t promise that 100%. 🙂
Thanks for checking into that! I think I’ll just use my frozen rhubarb for strawberry rhubarb crumble and try fermenting rhubarb next year when in season. 🙂 I’ve never fermented before so I’d think it’d be better to try it with fresh and be successful rather than not and get discouraged. Thank you!!
I’ve never made my own cheese or yogurt (yet), so I don’t have whey on hand. Can I find this at a good natural foods store?
Hi Alisa! You can actually just buy plain, whole milk yogurt and make sure it says “with live and active cultures.” Strain it through some cheesecloth, and the liquid left in the bowl is whey. Then you will have a thick, creamy yogurt leftover to enjoy. 🙂
I love rhubarb, and I’m always happy to find new ways to use it, so thanks for sharing! My new one this year was to try making a rhubarb shrub, which turned out to be really nice in cocktails!
I’m assuming I add water on top of the rhubarb and other ingredients to within an inch of the top. Right?
Ah, yes! Thank you for catching that! I will go back and edit to include that. 🙂
I hope the idea of fermented rhubarb doesn’t make anyone gag! Fermenting is really a great way to add a nice sourness or tartness to many vegetables you or your kids may not like. I really want to try fermenting rhubarb, I haven’t tried it yet. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it!
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Do you think honey would work rather than raw sugar?
You’re welcome to try, though I’ve heard some people say that ferments won’t work quite as well with honey as with sugar.