Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (2024)

Growing a garden in Fairbanks is challenging at best with a very short growing season of just 60 days guaranteed frost free. The silver lining of growing this far north is the 24 hours of sun for two months. I do not possess the natural green thumb of my sister Jessica, but some crops are just easy to grow,rhubarb is one of them. I think of Fairbanks rhubarb as the zucchini crop of the lower 48 states, people can grow so much of it they give it away and come spring, rhubarb is found in plentitude at the bottom of the freezer. Rhubarb is a very versatile food, it can replace any fruit in any recipe and is a great bulk filler when you are short on other fruit or berries. I’ve tried a lot of recipes over the years living in Fairbanks trying to use up my rhubarb, here are some of my favorites.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (1)

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Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

The classic combination of rhubarb and strawberries captures the best of summertime. This is a no-pectin recipe with the lemon juice and zest acting as a natural thickener.

Servings 4 half-pint jars

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2cupssliced strawberries
  • 2cupschopped rhubarb
  • 1/2cupwater
  • 1zest and juice of lemon
  • 2 1/2cupssugar

Instructions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, add strawberries, rhubarb, water, and lemon and bring to a boil.

  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low an simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add sugar and continue stirring occasionally, until jam has thickened about 10-15 minutes.

  4. Skim off any foam that's formed on the surface and discard.

  5. Dived the jam between 4 sterilized half-pint jars. Wipe down rims with a clean cloth, then screw the lids on until they are finger tight.

  6. Fill a large pot with water about 2/3 full, (a pot taller than the pint jars and big enough to hold all four), and bring to a boil.

  7. Place the jars in the boiling water using a jar lifter and boil for 15 minutes.

  8. Remove from the water and place on a cutting board. Most jar lids will pop shortly after removing the jars. This signifies the lids have vacuumed sealed. If they don't seal within a half hour then place in the fridge and enjoy.

  9. The sealed jars can be stored for up to a year.


To me the summer go-to dessert is pie. If you don’t have strawberries feel free to throw in blueberries or raspberries instead, they also go well with rhubarb. If you like your pies tart then cut back on the sugar by half a cup, if you like it sweeter than add half a cup of sugar.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (3)

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Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Servings 1 double crust deep dish pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 2 1/2cupsflour
  • 2tspsalt
  • 2tspsugar
  • 1cupcold unsalted butter
  • 1/2cup cold water

Pie Filling

  • 5cupssliced rhubarb
  • 1 1/2lbssliced strawberries
  • 1cupsugar
  • 3Tbscornstarch

Instructions

  1. Use fresh or frozen rhubarb, and slice into 1' chunks.

  2. Slice the strawberries.

  3. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and cornstarch into a pot and turn to medium-low until the mixture boils.

  4. Turn the mixture to lowand stir occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn until thickened ~ 15 minutes.

  5. For the pie crust mix the flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl.

  6. Shred the butter using a cheese grater into the flour mixture and toss with your fingers.

  7. Add the cold water to the flour mixture.

  8. Pour half of the flour/water mixture onto a floured wooden cutting board and squish it together with your hands until the mixture holds together.

  9. Roll the pie crust out onto the cutting board and place into a buttered deep dish pie crust.

  10. Pour the rhubarb and strawberry mixture into the bottom pie crust.

  11. Roll out the other half of the pie crust mixture as above and place over the pie mixture.

  12. Use a butter knife to cut off the extra pie crust, and fold or crimp the edges of the pie crust pressing the crust against the corner of the pie plate. Slice some slits into the top of the pie crust for vents.

I know this counts as two desserts in a row but, to me, rhubarb is similar to berries and berries mean dessert. This recipe came from my friend Judy, who is a much better baker and cook than myself. Judy originally adapted this recipe from the Colorado Cache Cookbook. I highly recommend this dessert for potlucks since it is very tasty and quick to make, a crowd pleaser, and it goes well with vanilla ice cream. Here is my adaptation of this fine recipe.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (4)

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Rhubarb Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 1cupflour
  • 3/4 cupoatmeal
  • 1tspcinnamon
  • 1cuplight brown sugar
  • 1/2cupbutter, melted
  • 1cupsugar
  • 1 cupwater
  • 3Tbscornstarch
  • 1tspvanilla
  • 4cupsliced rhubarb

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and brown sugar into a medium bowl and mix with a whisk.

  2. Pour the melted butter into the oatmeal mixture and stir until combined.

  3. Pour half of the mixture into a greased 8x8" glass pan.

  4. Combine the sugar, water, cornstarch, and vanilla in a small pot, and cook slightly below medium until very thick. Add the rhubarb to the pot and mix thoroughly.

  5. Spread the rhubarb mix into the pan and sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture on top.

  6. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve warm or cold.

Ok, now onto some non-desserts. Ok, it could be dessert but I consider it breakfast food.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (5)

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Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1cupwhite flour
  • 1cupwhole wheat flour
  • 1/2cup sugar
  • 2Tbssugar
  • 1/2tspsalt
  • 1/2tspcinnamon
  • 1 1/4cuprhubarb
  • 1/2cupbutter
  • 1/2cupmilk
  • 2eggs
  • 1/2tspvanilla

Instructions

  1. Combine all the white flour, wheat flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix with a whisk.

  2. Toss the rhubarb with the 2 Tbl sugar in a separate bowl.

  3. Melt the butter and mix in another bowl with the milk, then add the eggs and vanilla.

  4. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and stir until moist. Do not overmix your ingredients but just until mixed.

  5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, making each cup level.

  6. Sprinkle turbinado sugar lightly on top of each muffin.

  7. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes if in a metal muffin pan. If using silicon then bake for 25-35 minutes.

And last but not least, my kids’ favorite recipe with rhubarbs, summer popsicles. This is a very versatile recipe, throw in some other blended berries or some vanilla, or maybe some orange juice. I’ll give you the basic and you experiment and find out what you like.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (6)

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Rhubarb Popsicle

Ingredients

  • 4cupssliced rhubarb
  • 1 cupplain yogurt
  • 3/4cuplocal honey

Instructions

  1. For this recipe, pre-frozen rhubarb works best but you can use fresh if you like. Smash the juice out of the sliced rhubarb until there are only the strings left. Use a juicer, ricer, or food mill. Save the juice

  2. In the rhubarb juice mix the yogurt and honey using a whisk.

  3. Pour the mixture into your popsicle molds. If you don't spill all over the counter it should make about 8 popsicles.

  4. Freeze for 6 hours.

So these are my favorite rhubarb recipes. I planted three more rhubarb plants this year, that makes 11 plants in total for me. And I still have some leftover rhubarb in the freezer from last year.

Consequently,

I’m on the lookout for more recipes so feel free to share them.

Top 5 Summer Rhubarb Recipes (2024)

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