Rhubarb Juice Concentrate (With Canning Instructions)
This rhubarb juice concentrate makes an excellent base for rhubarb soda, rhubarb lemonade and iced tea, rhubarb cocktails, rhubarb popsicles and more!
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We recently bought our first house: A charming 3-bedroom rancher on ¼-acre plot of land with more gardening space than we had on the one acre we’ve been renting for the past three years. And with that garden space we’re inheriting some pretty awesome perennial plants, including my spring favourite: Rhubarb.
We’ve been lucky enough to have some pretty awesome neighbours at our current house who have gifted us some of their rhubarb for the past couple of years, but we hit the jackpot with the new property with three huge established rhubarb plants -one so big that it’s about twice the height of my almost two-year-old daughter with massive flowering stalks that are even taller!
We’ve yet to complete renovations and move in, but you can bet I’ve been taking advantage of the rhubarb situation.
I harvested an armful of gigantic stalks the other day and chopped them up into 10 cups worth of 1-inch thick pieces. While I could have made a pie or some other type of dessert, I want to save that for strawberry season. Since strawberries still have about a month to go before they ripen, I decided I wanted to make something that featured only rhubarb as the star.
I also decided that I wanted to preserve it in some way. I mulled over the possibilities: Rhubarb jam? Rhubarb preserved in syrup? Dried rhubarb?
Dried rhubarb did appeal to me, and I think I’ll give that a go with the next batch as I’m keen to fire up my super awesome dehydrator this season. But I decided I was in the mood for something a little, well, juicier.
Related: Rhubarbecue Sauce Canning Recipe
One of the massive rhubarb plants we’re gratefully inheriting!
I started thinking about what kind of drinks I could make with rhubarb. Rhubarb-flavoured kombucha? Fermented rhubarb soda? I liked the idea of fermenting rhubarb into a probiotic drink in some way, but quite honestly I haven’t learned enough about fermenting to go there quite yet. (It is a goal of mine though, and I’m hoping to be able to ferment it by next year).
* Update: I have since learned a lot about fermenting and especially about Kombucha! Strawberry-rhubarb kombucha has fast become one of my favourite flavours so I will definitely link to the recipe here soon!
I decided to hit up my local library and take out a few books on preserving and soda and beverage brewing to get some inspiration. I ended up finding a recipe for a rhubarb juice concentrate (called “rhubarb nectar”) in one of the books I took out: The Canadian Living Complete Preserving Book. It was recommended as a base for rhubarb soda as you can mix it with soda water for a refreshing treat.
I’m addicted to using my Soda Stream in the summer, so I love having a tasty base to use for my homemade soda drinks. However if you don’t have a Soda Stream -which you should- you could use store-bought soda water too.
This recipe was super simple to make and didn’t require any fermenting. It also included a canning recipe, which was awesome as I wanted to put some up for later enjoyment when rhubarb season is over.
The recipe called for 10 cups of chopped rhubarb (perfect as that’s exactly what I had!), some sugar and citrus peels. I omitted the citrus peels as I didn’t want to spend any money buying them from the store, but you can absolutely add a few orange, lemon or lime peels into your batch if you like.
I followed the rest of the recipe as it was written, but have added a couple extra easy peasy steps here like mashing the cooked rhubarb with a potato masher and skimming off foam a couple times to ensure a better quality end product.
I will say that you don’t get a ton of rhubarb juice concentrate from this recipe. I ended up getting about 3 pints worth. However 10 cups of chopped rhubarb is about the most you’re going to fit in a large pot at one time, so you can either double the amount and cook the rhubarb down in two separate batches and then strain, cook and can up the juice all at once, or simply make small batches.
Either way, the end product is well worth making. I am enjoying some right now mixed with some soda water and a little fresh-squeezed lime and it is delish. You could also mix this with some lemonade or iced tea to make a flavoured summer drink, or use it as a base for margaritas, martinis or any number of other yummy cocktails. Or freeze it in popsicle moulds for a frozen summer treat. Or even use it as a base for a salad dressing mixed with oil and vinegar… Oh the possibilities!
You can also cut down on the amount of sugar you add in if you find it too sweet. I do personally find this rather sweet, but I was looking for a syrupy concentrate to use as a base for homemade sodas and other flavoured drinks, so it works for this purpose. Also, if added to lemonade, the sweetness of this rhubarb concentrate will offset the tartness of the lemonade. As rhubarb on its own is quite tart itself, I find you need a decent amount of sugar to make it palatable.
But feel free to reduce the amount of sugar if you like. There is a very similar recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving that called for 12 cups of rhubarb and only 1½ cups of sugar. So it can be done (and it won’t ruin your recipe).
So take advantage of rhubarb season and enjoy some rhubarb juice concentrate as a base for your spring and summer beverages… But don’t forget to put some up for winter too! It’s the perfect treat to enjoy at the end of a long winter when spring is just around the corner, but still seems just out of reach.
At least this year, here anyway, the rhubarb is up and spring is finally here to stay:)
Yipee!!!
Rhubarb Juice Concentrate (+ Canning Instructions)
Ingredients
- 10 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- If canning, prepare jars, bands and lids for canning. Wash jars and bands in hot, soapy water and then sterilize in a hot water bath. Keep hot until ready to fill. (If you're not canning this recipe, then just make sure jars and lids are clean and ready to fill. They can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or two).
- Combine rhubarb and water in a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium-low. Simmer until rhubarb is dissolved (about 10-12 minutes).
- Using a potato masher or similar utensil, mash the rhubarb up in the water to extract as much juice as possible. Then strain in small batches through a mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth over a saucepan. Continue mashing to squeeze out as much juice as possible.
- Once you've extracted all of the juice, discard the solids (great for the compost!) Then place the saucepan with the rhubarb juice back on the stove, add sugar and bring to a boil.
- Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly until all of the sugar is dissolved. Turn heat off and skim off as much foam as possible from the top.
- Fill hot, prepared jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Continue to remove foam from the top of each jar and adjust headspace as needed. Wipe rims, place lids on top and screw on bands to fingertip tight. Process in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid and let jars stand in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before transferring to pantry for storage.
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It’s easy to romanticize homesteading, but the truth is that those homegrown vegetables, those freshly laid eggs, that loaf of bread rising on the counter, and that pantry full of home-canned food takes time, effort and dedication. It doesn’t “just happen” overnight!
But if you work on learning one new skill at a time and gain confidence in it before moving onto the next, one day you’ll be looking back and marvelling at how far you’ve come.
That’s where I’m at now. Life today looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago, when our homesteading and self-reliance journey was just beginning.
Back then we still lived in our city condo and were just beginning to dabble in all of this stuff. But my husband Ryan and I felt a sense urgency to start pursuing a more self-reliant lifestyle, and we committed to taking small steps, one day at a time to make that vision a reality.
Over the years we’ve continued to put one foot in front of the other, adding new skills and tackling new projects along the way that have helped us get to where we are today.
While there’s always more we want to learn and do, as I look around me right now, I’m so grateful that we took those first steps, especially considering what’s happened in the world over the past few years!
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There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home:
💰 Saves you money at the grocery store
🍴 Healthier than conventionally grown food
🔑 increases your overall food security
🫙 Gives you an abundance to preserve and share
But perhaps the number one reason is because it just tastes better!
Not only does food taste better when it’s freshly picked or allowed to ripen on the vine, there’s something about putting in the work to grow something from a tiny seed and then getting to see it on your dinner plate that just makes it so much more satisfying than anything you’ll ever buy from the store.
Plus, having to wait all year for fresh tomatoes or strawberries or zucchinis to be in season makes that short period when they’re available just that much more exciting!
With the world spinning out of control and food prices continuing to rise, it’s no wonder more people are taking an interest in learning to grow their own food at home. But that also means changing our relationship with food and learning to appreciate the work that goes into producing it and the natural seasonality of organically grown fruits and vegetables.
(It also means learning to preserve it so you can make the most of it and enjoy homegrown food all year long).
In my online membership program, The Society of Self-Reliance, you’ll learn how to grow your own food, from seed to harvest, as well as how to preserve it so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor all year long!
You’ll also learn how to grow and craft your own herbal medicine, detox your home, become your own handyman, and so much more (because self-reliance is about more than just the food that we eat… But that’s a pretty good place to start!)
The doors to the Society are now open for a limited time only. Click the link in my profile or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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If you’ve been watching events unfold over the past few years and you’re feeling called to start “cutting ties” with the system and begin reclaiming your independence, The Society of Self-Reliance was made for you!
When I first launched this online membership program last year, my goal was to create a one-stop resource where members could go to learn and practice every aspect of self-reliance, as well as a space to connect with other like-minded people pursuing the same goal. And that’s exactly what you’ll get when you join!
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside the Society:
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Link in profile or visit thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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Got out for an early morning harvest today. Been up since 3am, contemplating life, the future and the past, the order of things…
There is a rumbling right now, not just in North America, but around the world. Many of us can feel it, and know we are on the precipice of something big.
I’d been hearing about this new song that’s become an overnight viral sensation, written by an (until now) unknown singer named Oliver Anthony. His new song Rich Men North of Richmond has had 14 million views on YouTube in the past week alone, so I decided to check it out.
I also saw a clip of him playing a Farmers Market last week, and anything that has to do with Farmers Markets always has my attention;)
I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve already cried listening to that song. If you’ve heard it already, you probably know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a listen. All I can say is it’s been a while since a song resonated so deeply with me, and in this strange new world, I know I’m not the only one.
One of the lines in Anthony’s song is “Livin’ in the new world, with an old soul,” and that’s something I think so many of us in the homesteading community can relate to.
Trying to cling to better days; To a simpler time; To the old ways, all while doing our best to get by in the new world.
The world has changed drastically in the last few years especially, and it’s set to change in immense ways over the next few years. Today I’m feeling thankful for people like @oliver_anthony_music_ who give a voice to what so many are feeling right now.
Know that if you’re feeling it too, you’re far from alone. And while the future may feel uncertain and even a little scary, remember that if we stand united, we the people are a force to be reckoned with.
(Continued in comments…)
Another garlic harvest in the books!
Garlic is easily one of my favourite crops to grow. It’s pretty much a “set if and forget it” crop. We plant in the fall and leave it to overwinter, fertilize a couple times in the spring, start watering only once the ground starts to dry out, and then harvest in the summer. We can even plant a fall succession crop after our garlic if we want so it really makes great use of garden space all year round.
Over the years we’ve managed to become completely self-sufficient with garlic. We now grow enough to eat all year (and then some!), plus we save our own seed garlic and usually have extra to sell or give away. And around here fresh, organic garlic ain’t cheap, so it’s a good cash crop for anyone who’s serious about selling it.
It took me a few years to really get the hang of garlic, but it’s one crop I’m now very confident with (knock on wood, because it’s always when we make statements like this that next year’s crop fails! Lol.)
A while back I compiled a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and using garlic both as an edible and medicinal crop. This is usually only available as part of a paid bundle (or in the fall 2022 issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine if you’re a subscriber;), but for a limited time I’m offering it for free, no strings attached!
Plus you’ll also get access to my step-by-step video lesson on planting garlic so you can set yourself up for success with your garlic crop this year.
Comment “Garlic” below or head to thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-guide to get your free copy!
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Going through photos and videos from our trip to the @modernhomesteadingconference and the vast majority are of our daughter having the time of her life!
Even if I personally got nothing else out of this gathering (which I most certainly did), watching her discover her own love of this lifestyle outside of what we do at home made my heart grow three sizes!
Homesteading is about so much more than homegrown food and self-reliance. It’s about passing on invaluable skills and an understanding of and respect for our connection to the land that provides for us to the next generation.
Being around so many other kids and families who are also pursuing a homesteading lifestyle helped show our little one that this is a movement that is so much bigger and greater than what our own family does on our little plot of land. This is a lifestyle worth pursuing, with a community unlike any other.
Glad to be back home and more excited than ever to involve my kids in everything we’re doing. But also, I think I speak for my whole family when I say we can’t wait to go back someday!
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#homesteading #modernhomesteading #raisinglittles
If you’re simply looking for ways to save a little extra cash this summer and live well for less, here are 12 tried and tested frugal living tips for summer that you can use to save money this season without sacrificing a thing.
Head over using the link in my bio!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-frugal-living-tips-summer/
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A brand new issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine just dropped!
In this issue:
🌱 How to forage and use five common edible and medicinal weeds
🏠 A sustainable, affordable alternative to traditional homes, greenhouses and more
👨👩👧👦 Tips for managing a homestead while raising a family (big or small!)
🫙 What to focus on when preserving food for true food security
🌹 How to grow and arrange your own cut flowers at home
🍓 The many ways to preserve summer berries (including 5 delicious recipes!)
💇How to make your own all-natural herbal hair care products at home
🧑🌾 Why “community sufficiency” is the new self-sufficiency
And more!
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com (or click the link in my bio) to subscribe or login to the library and read the latest issue.
Plus, be sure to check out all of our past issues as well! There’s a wealth of information in our library on everything from farming and gardening to cooking and canning to herbal medicine, natural living and so much more!
*** This will be the last quarterly issue! ***
This little magazine has grown so much over the past 4 years and 32 issues, and now it’s time for another exciting evolution.
I’m excited to announce that we will be moving to an even more robust annual publication with the intention of offering the first ever print edition this fall if there is enough demand.
I’m also excited to announce the brand new Modern Homesteading Magazine blog, which is currently under construction and will be launching soon. While we will still be maintaining digital subscriptions, the blog will be accessible to all, free of charge, so that more people might benefit from the empowering and increasingly important information that we cover in each issue.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this issue happen! @homesteadingfamily @oatsandhoneyhomestead @omnivore.culture @thetaylor.leigh @doeraydesign (and more who don’t have IG pages;)
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed over the years. Modern Homesteading Magazine would never have become what it is today without each and every one of you.
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If you’ve ever grown your own garlic, you might have noticed the spiral-shaped shoots that suddenly pop up in the centre of the stem, usually about a month or so before the garlic bulbs themselves are ready to be harvested.
These are garlic scapes, and believe it or not- they make delicious pesto! Get the recipe through the link in my bio- https://thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-scape-pesto/
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This honey and chive blossom vinaigrette is a frugal, easy and healthy homemade salad dressing that pairs beautifully with fresh garden salads all season long.
Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/chive-blossom-vinaigrette/
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Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
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This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
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What is the nutritional value of the juice? Or is it just for flavor?
There would definitely be some nutritional value in this as rhubarb has some nutritional value, being that it’s a vegetable that’s high in antioxidants. This juice concentrate still has sugar, which means it may not be the healthiest thing on earth, but still much better that traditional soda (I like to mix ours with soda water) and the flavour is great.
You can also take your left over pulp and make some rhubarb bread. Follow your favorite banana bread recipe, substituting the rhubarb pulp for mashed bananas. Tastes great!
Hi!
Thanks for the recipe!
I chopped my rhubarb this summer then froze it in 1 inch pieces. I just sent it through our old juicer and ended up with about a gallon of juice!
I’m using it in our wedding mixed into gin and tonics – which are already sweet enough. Is this amount of sugar for preserving or for taste?
If I followed the canning process of heating but didn’t add sugar, would the juice still last for a year+ / is there a ratio available somewhere of how much sugar is needed to preserve something?
I would like the juice to stay as tart as possible.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Rachel,
The sugar is for taste and does not effect the safety of the finished product. You can use as much or as little as you want to achieve the taste you’re looking for.
If you do not use some sugar the color will fade to a muddy brown. Sugar preserves color, but so will lemon juice. You do not have to use the full amount. Mine a few years ago really got a weird color without sugar, since thin I have added a minimum amount plus 1 TBS of lemon juice per quart.
Instead of mashing your fruit or veg to juice, try a steamer juicer. A steam juicer is a low-tech way to extract juice from fruit or veggies. It is simply a stack of nesting pots that sit on your stove. … The top pot holds the fruit or vegetables in a colander so the steam can penetrate it. (Usually holds about 11 quarts) You just add the fruit (no need to peel or slice). The middle pot is the water and the bottom pot collects the juice. There is a siphon hose with a clamp that allows you to drain into a canning jar or pot. This saves a lot of work. I use the top cooked fruit for butters etc. Crabapples, I needed to use a Moulinex to remove the seeds from the pulp.
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for the time saving tip!
I make rhubarb cordial each year and I like to dilute with some ginger ale. Tastes amazing.
I have the opportunity of 20/30 lbs of rhubarb. I will not have time to make all this into wine but I do want to preserve the extracted juice.
Reading all the feedback I will collect the juice. However, can I put the juice into empty
( clean, sterilised bottles) and store for at least one year I.e when I’m ready to use it. Any advice please.
Perhaps you could try freezing the juice, but I wouldn’t just leave it sitting in bottles. You could can it for long-term storage by following this recipe and using mason jars.
I had a homestead years ago and made plenty of rhubarb juice concentrate canned for year round use.
However…
I did NOT throw out into the compost or otherwise, the pulp of any of the fruits I made juices with.
I added sugar if needed and made fruit leather!
That is a great idea! But I am wondering – are you able to grind it up finer for a smoother leather or do you leave it a bit chunky? Rhubarb always seemed so fibrous to me that I am wondering about the texture of the leather.
Love this recipe, but I just have a few words of wisdom about rhubarb. Did you know that if you cut the flowering parts off as soon as they start that you will be able to harvest rhubarb until frost kills it? It may slow down a bit in the warmer weather but will be just as nice in the fall if you keep it picked back. If you let it flower & go to seed it will be done for the year. I learned this many years ago from my mother in law who was brought up on a farm.
Great tips!
So, It’s better if you skip adding the water and pour the sugar over the rhubarb, cook at a low heat until you start getting water build up in the pot (rhubarb makes it’s own water) then boil it for about ten minutes while stirring occasionally. That will make the rhubarb flavor really come out and it’ll balance out your too sweet problem.
Also, if you’re looking for a more clear liquid, you might think about not mashing it. Mashing makes the liquid cloudy. It’s really better to sit it in a colander, with cheesecloth (or use a fine grade sieve) and let it drain naturally for a while.
also, instead of adding the left overs to your compost you might try making rhubarb candy. Take your left over sludge, spread it on a cookie sheet and dry it on a low heat. It’s like a fruit roll up! It also makes great rhubarb butter (like apple butter) if you add seasonings and cook it in a slow cooker. 😉
Do you think you could use frozen rhubarb with this recipe?
Absolutely! It cooks down just the same:)
How long would this last at room temperature in properly sterilised jars/bottles? I have a glut and looking to make this to enjoy over several months!
Hi Sam,
This canning recipe, if followed properly, will be shelf stable for at least a year. However it would probably be good up to a couple years or perhaps even longer as long as proper canning procedure has been followed. Although it doesn’t tend to last anywhere near that long around here;)
This easy to make and tastes great
How much concentrate to water ratio for serving?
It just depends on what your personal preferences are. I like to mix mine with homemade sparkling water at about a 50/50 ratio. With regular water I would probably mix 3 parts juice to 1 part water or just 2:2 depending on your taste.
I’m interested in juicing my rhubarb, with my juicer. Then cooking the juice with the sugar. How many cups (approx.) would you get after the pulp would be all strained out?
Hi Lori,
As neither Anna or I have juiced rhubarb before, your guess is as good as ours regarding the amount of juice you could expect. I just use this recipe as written so my advise would be to stick to the recipe. However, you are certainly welcome to try using your juicer but we cannot guarantee the finished product would be the same as written. But – if you do use the juicer – will you let us know how it goes for you? I know we are now very curious about it. 🙂
degagnon@cogeco.ca
Could you freeze this rather than canning it?
Yes! Absolutely. However, if freezing in Mason jars, be sure to leave some extra headspace at the top to prevent the glass from breaking when the liquid freezes and expands. To be on the safe side, I would recommend leaving about one to two inches of headspace at the top of your jar. If you’re using a straight jar, one to two inches from the top of the jar is just fine. If you’re using a Mason jar with shoulders (where the jar curves in at the top), I would leave at least one inch of headspace from the shoulder line. Also, if freezing, allow the hot liquid to cool completely before sealing the jar and popping it in the freezer to prevent breakages.
Or freeze in ice cubes and throw into your lemonade to help cool and flavor all at once!! I can’t wait!!!
Just curious have you ever tried to purée the rhubarb instead of mash it? First time making this and love my vita mix. 🙂
Hi Jennie!
You could definitely purée it if you like, however the rhubarb breaks down and goes mushy very quickly when boiled in the hot water and then you strain out the liquid anyway, so I don’t know that there is much point to puréeing it if you still plan on cooking it on the stovetop. Also, puréeing it might actually make it harder to strain out all or the particles (not sure as I haven’t tried it), so that might make for an end product with more pulp in it. If you try it though let me know how it turns out!