Welcome Freshly Pressed visitors!
We’re rather lucky here in Newfoundland. We don’t get all of the same holidays as some of the other provinces, but in the summer, we get extra — especially if you live in St. John’s, where the first Wednesday in August is a municipal holiday. Anyway, this year in particular we have lucked in. Last Monday was our Discovery Day holiday, celebrating the arrival of Europeans on our rocky coast. Today is the bank holiday for Canada Day, which was yesterday (or Memorial Day, as it is also known here). And then next Monday is Orangemen’s Day. So we get three long weekends and three four-day weeks in a row. You really can’t beat that.
So why not celebrate this summer bounty with a refreshing beverage?
When my mother was here (and we were in Portland) she bought me some fresh rhubarb and was going to process it and make something out of it but she ran out of time. It was starting to look a little woebegone after she left so I figured I should bite the bullet and git ‘er done. And yes, rhubarb can be woebegone. I swear.
This is a simple syrup made from rhubarb that you can add to any fizzy drink for a sweet and tart kick. And by simple I mean it’s really freaking easy.
Start with some fresh rhubarb. Wash it and dice it up. You’ll need about 1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb for this one.
Grab a small saucepan and toss in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water. I added in a teaspoon of vanilla as well.
Bring that to a boil, stirring constantly.
Chuck in the rhubarb and stir to coat before removing from the heat.
Cover the rhubarb and leave it to steep (like a tea!) for an hour.
Strain the steeped rhubarb over a cup or bowl.
I kept the steamed rhubarb for snacking. Neither the Pie nor Gren were impressed with it, but that just means more for me.
Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice to the syrup and stir.
You can keep the syrup in the fridge for about a week, if you cover it.
Use about an ounce of the syrup in a small glass with ice, and add soda water or gingerale for a fruity fizz. This makes about six drinks if you use small glasses, about three if you use big ones.
Yaya, you did a drink too – it sounds great. I’m so in love with rhubarb these days
It’s so good!
Looks great… We should try it…
It’s very easy!
It was going so well…. then I saw the plastic lemon!!!! Get some real lemon in there and it’s a winner!!!!
Haha, sorry about that. That’s my emergency lemon when I’m out of the fresh stuff…
Rhubarb is just plain lovely. I made a strawberry rhubarb compote – uber typical rhubarb use – just the other day to put on pancakes but I’ve never tried a dink with it. Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
http:dyefeltsool.com
This was my first drink, too. Definitely worth the experiment!
Sounds great, will try that immediately.
Don’t forget that Rhubarb contains poisonous oxalic acid. I think it is mostly destroyed when cooking it, thought. Theoretically, 1 kg of uncooked Rhubarb can kill… but who can eat 1kg of raw Rhubarb
I was just about to leave a comment saying how fantastic that all looked, until I read this comment, haha. I had no idea rhubarb was so lethal!
Blech, and who would want to — it’s so sour! The leaves are also toxic, and you shouldn’t put them in your compost bin because they can poison the resulting soil — make sure to throw them in the garbage.
I miss the rhubarb that my Adopted Mom made every Summer from the farm we visited where she grew up. The current owners were pleased to have Betty visit just to pick through the rhubarb. At home it was transformed into pie, of course, but there was a place for rhubarb in just about everything she made – not just delicious jams and jellies. I’ll try some of this. Thanks!
I love how much food is connected to our sense of nostalgia — and Moms!
Can you freeze the syrup? I’m thinking tart ice cubes in soda water… Thanks for sharing this recipe, I have a rhubarb forest in my back yard. We’re getting a little weary of strawberry/rhubarb pie and rhubarb/sour cream coffee cake.
I bet you could — it’s just sugar and juice after all. Rhubarb/sour cream coffee cake sounds amazing — do you have a recipe for that?
Love the simple syrup idea for drinks – here’s a compote recipe – you can skip the strawberries if you like.
http://parsenip.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/strawberry-rhubarb-compote/
Mmm, looks tasty!
Here is the recipe for the Rhubarb/Sour Cream Coffee Cake
http://antarabesque.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/rhubarb-coffee-cake/
AWESOME. Thanks so much!
This is such a unique drink! Thanks for sharing, and cheers to you!
Ah, rhubarb the lovely weed. He makes a rhubarb compote with sugar, water, rhubarb, grated ginger root, crushed fennel seeds and some honey.
Discovery Day sounds more exciting….than Family Day in Alberta (Feb.) and also in Ontario.
I do miss Family Day, though. There aren’t enough holidays in the winter in Newfoundland.
Sounds great! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Thanks!
I love rhubarb, this sounds delicious!
I made rhubarb slush last night, this reminded me, I should have taken pictures, and posted the recipie, next time, for sure, I made a 1/2 batch, so I’ll be making it again soon, I’m sure, though this sounds just as delicious.
Do it! That sounds amazing!
Oh, good, another way to prepare one of my favorite things! Nice.
Haven’t had rhubarb for so long! This drink seems deliciously refreshing, and goes onto my to-do list straight away
Rhubarb is one of the things I miss most about a “real” garden – there’s just no space for it on my little balcony. And it’s so hard to get in stores here (and now the season for it is over anyway).
But one day, one day I will have my garden, and enormous rhubarb plants like my grandad had!
Me too! It also provides a great screen for stuff you want hidden in your garden, like drains and hoses …
The combination of sweet syrup flavoured with stewed rhubarb mixed with a good helping of ginger ale sounds incredible. Thanks for sharing the great recipe
I am so happy to see so many people still love rhubarb. It’s not readily available at the grocery store, but mostly there as a seasonal fruit.
I made a rhubarb upsidedown cake and it was very refreshing…quite simple as well:
http://suburbangrandma.com/culture/upside-down-rhubarb-cake-recipe/
Mmm, I love rhubarb upside-down cake!
Wow, looks great! Thanks for sharing. http://www.segmation.wordpress.com.
Looks delicious!
Love the pics and the way you’ve captured the process!
Thanks very much!
I’ve been giving the rubarb away because I cut back on sugar and rubarb without sugar would taste awful. Inspiring post though.
Thanks, yeah, without sugar it would be very sour indeed!
I know.
I never really know what to do with rhubarb but it is so easy to grow so I am looking forward to trying this!
I’ve been so obssessed with rhubarb lately. I’ve made compote, curd, and ice cream and loved each one of them. This will be on my list of things to make this weekend.
daisy
Curd, eh? I’ll have to try that one!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
I adore Rhubarb. It’s like Christmas for me when I see it in the supermarket. I’ll definitely have to try this out soon. It will be perfect for those long hot days as I’m job hunting!
Definitely a great summer treat!
I love rhubarb! I’ve baked with it but it never occurred to me to use it in a drink.
Me neither!
Woebegone! How is it that you lucky easterners get 3 long weekends in a row? On the west coast we are so slow to catch on. I’m going to try some of this rhubarb delight and pretend it’s the weekend anyhow.
Cheers!
irunibreathe.wordpress.com
Well, to be fair, the winters here really suck, if that makes you feel better!
Now I can get some rhubarb from the farmers market and do something simple.
That’s what I like best about it — it’s simple!
Sounds yummy, am definately going to try it!
My favorite fruit! Yet, I always live where it does not grow… Yet as a child, I would visit my grandmother in Canada and YUMMY!!! I can still taste that pie!
Glad you have such delicious memories of Canada!
Nice drink…didnt knew about it before
Looks good! I love rhubarb! Just had a post about it myself today!