Store rhubarb in the refrigerator
Freshly harvested or purchased rhubarb should be used within a few days as it spoils quickly. The rhubarb stalks are best kept in the refrigerator, as the cold inhibits the putrefactive bacteria. Wrap the rhubarb in a damp cloth and place it in the vegetable drawer. This protects him from dehydration.
The rhubarb should not be stored for longer than three days, as its quality is greatly impaired. It is better to harvest the rhubarb right before processing or only buy small quantities that you can use immediately.
also read
- Is it necessary to cut rhubarb in autumn?
- Does rhubarb need protection to overwinter?
- Is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?
Freeze the rhubarb
Rhubarb can be frozen for a good year. The longer it is stored, the more it loses its aroma, which is why it is best to use it after six months at the latest
Freeze rhubarb step by step
- Prepare the rhubarb by washing it, removing the leaves and the hard ends of the sticks.
- If necessary, you can peel the rhubarb by loosening the woody fibers with a small knife and peeling off lengthways.
- Cut the prepared rhubarb stalks into pieces.
- To keep the color of the rhubarb when frozen, blanch it in bubbly boiling water for three minutes and soak it in ice water. However, the rhubarb can also be frozen raw.
- Place the rhubarb pieces next to each other on a wooden board and place them in the *** freezer for a few hours. This will prevent the pieces from freezing together into a lump.
- Place the pre-frozen rhubarb pieces in freezer bags, which you will press out of the air before sealing. Other tightly closable freezer-safe containers are also suitable for storage.
- Always take the required amount of rhubarb out of the freezer and use it up completely after a year at the latest.
Reduce the rhubarb
There are several ways to preserve rhubarb by boiling them:
- Boil the rhubarb in sugar water: Layer the cleaned and cut rhubarb in glasses, fill up with sugared water and boil for half an hour at 90 ° C.
- Cooking rhubarb compote: sauté the prepared rhubarb pieces in a little water, add sugar and spices and thicken with starch. Then fill into sterile jars.
- Cooking rhubarb jam: Mix the cleaned pieces of rhubarb with the preserving sugar, leave to stand for an hour, then bring to the boil and after four minutes pour into sterile jars.
- Reduce the rhubarb juice: Juice the rhubarb using a juicer, a juicer or a steam extractor, if desired, add sugar. The steamed juice can be filled directly into sterile bottles or boiled down as a jelly. The raw, juiced rhubarb juice must be boiled before bottling in order to keep it safe.
