Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

“That’s a lot of rhubarb,” the cashier said, as he picked up the bag and placed it on the scale. I shrugged. What is "a lot" of rhubarb, anyway? Rhubarb season is only so long and the rhubarb plants in my garden are so small, buying pounds upon pounds of it is the only thing to do. 

So why so much rhubarb? Well mostly, I wanted to make this rhubarb crisp over and over again. But also, I had dreams of a pink lemonade with tart rhubarb notes, and a rhubarb ice cream. This recipe is the result of the first dream -- the ice cream is still a work in progress. 

Rhubarb is pretty tart on it's own, so honey lends natural sweetness to this drink to balance out the lemons and rhubarb juice. The addition of ginger adds a bite, making this lemonade super refreshing and rounding out it's flavor profile. (I LOVE ginger in lemonade!)

And that color? It's totally natural! The batch of rhubarb I used to make this lemonade was super pink to start with, so if your rhubarb is a softer hue of pink, I would expect your juice to end up a softer shade of pink, too. 

Mix it up: There are a few twists you could pull on this recipe, including topping it off with sparkling water (spritzer, anyone?), or adding a shot of tequila for an springtime hard Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade. Give them both a try! 

Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

Published April 19, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3-1/2 cups water, divided
• 1-1/2 inch ginger root, minced
• 4-5 lemons (about 1 cup lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Add chopped rhubarb, 1/2 cup water, and ginger to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, until rhubarb is soft.
2. Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour rhubarb mixture through strainer, catching water and juices with bowl. Using a spatula, press all of the juice out of the rhubarb chunks. Then, discard rhubarb pulp.
3. Juice the lemons. Strain lemon juice to remove any seeds. Pour lemon juice into the bowl with the rhubarb juice. Add honey and remaining 3 cups water, and stir until honey is dissolved. Chill before serving, and pour over ice in glasses.
4. Note: you can also top off your glass with sparkling water or add a shot of tequila!

Citrus & Honey Braised Rhubarb (Paleo)

It has been a cold and grey spring, delivered with a dosed of rain and sleet and snow. This weather makes time for all sorts of time consuming activities. Board games. Turning the oven on for extended period of time. Brushing up on your old sketching habit. Curling up on the couch and watching the entire first season of Outlander. 

The grey chill has made me hungry for sun and time outside, even though I admit that sometimes it's nice to have an excuse to curl up on the couch and stay in. 

On sunny days, I lap up the heat and the rays almost as eagerly as I lapped up this rhubarb compote. This compote though, doesn't care how many clouds there are in the sky: its flavors are bright and light. It's blooming with flavor in a way that's akin to the flowers blooming outside.

This, my friends, is the spring dessert. Spoon it over vanilla ice cream while it's still warm. Pile it over yogurt the next morning. Top it with toasted almonds and eat it straight. Swirl it into tapioca pudding (recipe coming soon!). You really can't go wrong.  

Citrus & Honey Braised Rhubarb

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Orange juice brightens the flavor of the rhubarb in this dish. Honey is used to bring sweetness, which is needed to counteract how tart rhubarb juice is naturally.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound rhubarb (about 3 large stalks)
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Chop the rhubarb into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
3. In a glass baking dish, toss the rhubarb in the honey, orange juice, salt, vanilla, and ginger until everything is well coated and combined. Then spread into an even layer.
4. Place in preheated oven and bake 18-20 minutes, until rhubarb is quite softened. Remove from oven, and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve in small bowls, or with vanilla ice cream, yogurt, or pudding.