How To Freeze Rhubarb

1. Chop the stalks of the plant from the main rhubarb plant. Be sure to preserve as much of the stem as possible by cutting the stalks low to the ground.

2. Remove the rhubarb leaf as these are actually toxic and should not be eaten.

3. Wash the rhubarb stems thoroughly.

4. Remove any woody or damaged stems.

There are a number of methods for freezing rhubarb. Rhubarb can be put in airtight plastic bags, or within plastic storage containers for freezing.

It can be frozen as whole stalks within either freezer bags or bread bags. It can be chopped and frozen in it's natural state, frozen with added sugar, or frozen within a syrup mixture.

I generally freeze my rhubarb plain as this is the easiest and quickest method to freeze this vegetable. I simply chop my rhubarb, pop it into the bags, and then into the freezer.

I do however place my rhubarb into a variety of different sized containers so I have an ample variety of sizes to select from. This insures that no matter how large a batch it is that I am choosing to cook that day I'll be sure to have the correct package in the freezer for my needs.

If you are adding sugar in with your rhubarb, generally use about one part sugar for every four parts of rhubarb. You can stir your sugar and rhubarb within a bowl before bagging it, or just dump the sugar into the bag over top of the rhubarb, and then shake to coat.

Anyone who has ever eaten rhubarb plain knows that it is a very tart vegetable. Rhubarb is therefore best when it is combined with other fruits to give it a little more natural sweetness. For a more tasty treat in your recipes, combine apples along with the rhubarb, apples tend to compliment the flavor of rhubarb very nicely.

Don't forget to put the date on your packages before you put them in the freezer.

RHUBARB CRISP:

2 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine

2 and one half cups diced rhubarb
2 cups diced apples
1/4 cup white sugar

Prepare the crumb mixture by creaming the margarine into the brown sugar. Add the next four ingredients and mix till crumbly.

Dice the fruit into small squares and mix with the white sugar.

Combine one quarter of the crumb mixture with the diced fruit in a baking pan. Pour the remaining crumb mixture atop the rhubarb, apple and crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for thirty five to forty five minutes. Top with ice cream, whipping cream or serve with a small amount of milk.

Note: This crisp can also be prepared without the apples. Just replace apples with two cups of additional rhubarb.

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