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How to Freeze Rhubarb, Easily! With Step-by-step Directions, Photos and Recipes
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If you like rhubarb in thewinter for cobblers, pies or just cooked, stewed Rhubarb in a bowl; just imagine how good it wouldtaste if you had picked fresh or bought rhubarb from a farmstand and then quickly froze it at home! It is also one of the simplestways to put up a fruit for the winter. Here's how to do it, completeinstructions in easy steps and completely illustrated.
In the winter when you pull them from the freezer, the rhubarb will taste MUCHbetter than anything you've ever had from a store, and by selecting the rightfruit, it will use less sugar than store-bought frozen rhubarb. Rhubarb can be packed in very light, light or medium sugarsyrup. They can also be packed in water, applejuice or white grape juice.
Prepared this way, the frozen fruit will have a freezer life of about 12months.
If you would like some rhubarb recipes, see my pageon how to makerhubarb-strawberry jam or this page onrhubarb-strawberry pie.It is really SO easy! If you would rathercan the rhubarb, see this page.
Directions for Making Frozen Rhubarb
Ingredients and Equipment
- Fresh Rhubarb(see step 1)
- Ziploc freezer bags, quart size or a vacuum food sealer and bags forit.
- Sugar (or other sweetener: Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, , Nutrasweet, or fruit juice)
Recipe and Directions
Step 1 - Selecting the rhubarb
The most important step!Choose firm, tender, well-colored stalks with good flavor and few fibers.The color should be appropriate for the variety of rhubarb: some should beall red when they are ripe, others are still largely green. If youdon't know, ask the farmer or grocery.
Step 2 - How much rhubarb and where to get it
You can pick your own, or buy them at at farm market or the grocery store. Forvery large quantities (more than a few bushels), you will find that real* farmer's markets, like theFarmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia have them at the best prices.
You can freeze any quantity of rhubarb.
* - not the cutesy, fake farmer's marketsthat are just warehouse grocery stores that call themselves farmer'smarkets. I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the rhubarb in plaincold or lukewarm water.> Just rub the dirt of with your fingers,under running water. You will then need to remove the ends of the rhubarb -thetough part that connects to the plant (as show at left) and then dice thestalks into 1/2 inch pieces.Step 3 - Wash the rhubarb
Step 4 - Cut up the rhubarb
Rhubarbvarieties differ - if the type you have has a tough outer skin, peel it off.You can tell if it is tough if it peels off easily as a thin skin.
Step 5 - Blanching
Blanching (Heating rhubarb in boiling water) for 1 minute and thencooling promptly in cold ice water helps retain color and flavor, especiallyif you will be storing it for many months. If you goal is to use therhubarb within a couple of months, you can skip this step. But if youare freezing it in the Spring and think you will be using it in the winter,put the cut up rhubarb into a large pot of fully boiling for 1 minute, thenpour it out into a colander or sieve and immerse in cold water for severalminutes. Then drain and move on to the next step!
Step 6 - Dry Pack or in liquid (Wet Pack)?
You can pack rhubarb dry (which is best for short termstorage, up to 3 or 4 months) or wet, in a sugar, honey or fruitjuice solution (which works better for longer storage). If youare freezing to use in a pie later, dry pack is probably best.
Dry Pack: Skip to step 7
If you choose a dry pack, just skip to step 8.
Wet Pack: Prepare the sugar (or other sweetener) solution
Rhubarb can be packed in a solution of water and sugar or fruit juice.It's up to you which to use. Sugar is added to improve flavor,help stabilize color, and retain the shape of the fruit. You only needenough solution to cover the rhubarb; about 1 cup per quart. It is not addedas a preservative; but the solution does prevent drying, freezer burnand oxidation (browning). Peach, white grape or apple juice works greatand is a natural alternative to using processed sugar!
Type ofSyrup Sugar Water Yield Fruit juice (peach, apple or white grape) 0 0 4 cups Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, (2 cups) 0 6 cups 6 cups Light sugar 2 cups 6 cups 7 cups Medium sugar 3 cups 6 cups 7.2 cups Heavy sugar 4 cups 6 cups 7.4 cups
Fruit juice syrup requires no preparation. To prepare sugar and Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, syrups, while heatingthe water in a pot on the stove (or microwave), add sugar slowly,stirring constantly to dissolve. Once it is dissolved remove it from theheat. After preparing the liquid syrup, let it coolbefore mixing it with the rhubarb!
Step 7 - Wet Pack Only: Mix the rhubarb with the sweetener solution
In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb and sweetener solution. Mixcompletely.
Step 8- Fill the bags and exclude air pockets
Ladle therhubarb and solution into the freezer bags.
A. ZiplocBags
If you are using ziploc bags, squeeze out any air bubbles andseal them. put them in the freezer on the coldest shelf. Sincerhubarb, nectarines, plums, figs, and other soft fruit will be coveredin a liquid, it is quite easy to remove all the air with a ziploc bag!Be sure to use the "freezer ziplocs", not the regular ones. Thefreezer ones are thicker and will be much less like to break, split orallow freezer burn. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer tofreeze foods, place food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leaveenough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place,remove air by sucking the air out. To remove straw, press straw closedwhere inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove straw.
B. VacuumFood Sealer
If you are using a vacuum food sealer, stand the bagsupright on the shelves on the door of your freezer (so they don't spill)and allow them to freeze overnight (vacuum food sealers require liquidsto be frozen first, or they would be sucked into the pump!)
The nextday, take the bags out of the freezer, seal them and pop them back inthe freezer!
If any of the frozen rhubarb are exposed on thesurface, just pour a little more sugar syrup (or fruit juice, etc.) tocover them and put it back in the freezer. When that freezes, youcan seal them.
Photos (coming) above at right, from top to bottom:
- Rhubarb in foodsaver bags standing upright, unsealed,in the freezer; to be frozen.
- Rhubarb in a foodsaver bag waiting to be frozen then sealed
- Rhubarb in a ziplocbag with the air excluded, ready for the freezer.
Tips!
- To use them, just set them in the fridge overnight, or onthe counter for a couple of hours. I wouldn't recommend the microwaveunless you are planning to cook with them!
- Allow about 1/2 inch of head space. Do not use glassbecause the expansion in the freezer will break the glass. (yes, ifyou leave enough headspace, it may work some of the time...)
- If fruit is not covered by liquid it may darken or get freezer burn during storage (but doesnot necessarily mean it is spoiled, as all fruits will darken somewhat). To avoid this,remove all air bubbles and while the bags are freezing, stand themso that the fruit is entirely covered by liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I freeze rhubarb dry without any sweetener?
A. Yes. You might get some freezer burn, so you might want to add alittle juice (peach or white grape) to fill the air spaces. Or pack themdry using a vacuum food sealer which would eliminate the need to add juiceand still avoid most freezer burn.
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