recipe
May 13, 2024
The month of May signifies the opening of Johnson Island on Burntside Lake. It’s also the time to harvest hearty rhubarb stalks, which means it’s time for rhubarb pies, rhubarb syrup, and rhubarb custard bars (we are in Minnesota don’t ya know). If you don’t have your own rhubarb plant, you surely have a friend, neighbor, or family member with one, and you should get your hands on some stalks to make all things rhubarb because the season doesn’t last long. Here are my 18 favorite rhubarb recipes for your early summer harvest.
How To Grow Rhubarb
- Rhubarb is easy to grow. It requires cold weather to thrive, which is why it’s so abundant in Minnesota and is one of the first plants to harvest in the spring.
- While rhubarb thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, it can tolerate shade and the wet/dry spells we get in Minnesota.
- If you have a young plant, you’ll need to wait at least until the second year to harvest the stalks.
- As always, the U of MN Extension Office has great tips on growing rhubarb.
How to Use Rhubarb In Recipes
- The reason you find rhubarb in so many sweets is it’s bitterness. The sour flavor is a nice component in sweet dishes, and you need to sugar to handle the sourness.
- Only the stalk is edible, and you should wait until they are nice and thick to harvest.
- Sugar is a must to balance bitterness of rhubarb. Raw rhubarb is fibrous and much too sour.
Video Tutorial: Rhubarb Custard bars
Ready to start making rhubarb favorites? Check out this tutorial on one of my most popular recipes, rhubarb custard bars. And subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a recipe! Or choose a favorite recipe from the list below.
Easy Rhubarb Custard Bars
These tasty rhubarb custard bars have only a few ingredients and are crazy easy to make.
Rhubarb Bread with Almonds
Another great use of rhubarb is this almond-topped loaf that is not too sweet and has a nutty top.
Rhubarb French 75
My favorite vegetable is rhubarb! Yes, it’s a vegetable, not a fruit! Use my Rhubarb Syrup to make my favorite Spring cocktail, the Rhubarb French 75
Rhubarb Syrup
This wonderful rhubarb syrup is versatile and delicious. Thin simple syrups make for a great drink mix, and thicker syrup can be used on everything from pancakes to ice cream.
Rhubarb Honey Cake
This cake adds a little honey to the sugars to enhance the tart rhubarb. You can make it in a springform pan for a round shape or a cake pan will also work but it’s trickier getting pretty slices out. It will taste great either way.
Rhubarb Shrub
A shrub is a concentrated syrup that combines fruit, sugar, and vinegar. This one features delicious, tart rhubarb.
Rhubarb Vodka Lemonade
Rhubarb shrub and lemonade make a refreshing adult cocktail for spring. This can easily be made into a mocktail by omitting the vodka.
