How to Can Rhubarb; Food Preservation

A friend of mine recently told me she had never considered canning rhubarb because she had no idea how she would use it later. I think my favorite reason to can rhubarb is that it can be used to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie later. YUM! I take the canned rhubarb and fresh or canned strawberries and end up with a lovely result. Preserving my rhubarb by canning it makes it so I can have this fabulously fresh-tasting pie year-round. This is not the only reason to can rhubarb, but it is my number 1 reason.

Ingredients

Canning rhubarb is not difficult but does require a little planning ahead.

How to Can Rhubarb

This recipe and directions will make a 1-quart jar of canned rhubarb.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds Rhubarb

• 1/2-1 cup Sugar

The first step is to wash and cut off the ends of 2 pounds of rhubarb.

Cutting rhubarb

Next, we will cut the rhubarb into 1/2 to 1-inch segments and place them in a saucepot. Coat the rhubarb with 3/4 to 1-cup of sugar. We used a full cup. Allow the rhubarb to sit in a cool place and “sweat” in the sugar for 3-4 hours.

Rhubarb and Sugar in a Pan

After the rhubarb has sweated in the sugar you will see that it actually looks wet in the saucepot even though we didn’t add any water. It’s now time to bring the rhubarb to a full boil for 30 seconds.

Once you have completed the boiling of the rhubarb it is time to fill your jars. Using a jar funnel, fill your hot jar leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.

Heated Rhubarb

Place lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight and process rhubarb in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes if at sea level. (Remember to adjust the pressure for your elevation if higher than 1000 feet.)

Canned Rhubarb

If you have any questions about canning with the boiling water canner or how to adjust the pressure for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.