Pickled Rhubarb

Apparently, as soon as I start feeling better, the first thing I do is start canning.  We have a huge rhubarb plant in our backyard in the wasteland - I mean garden.  I hate to let free food go to waste.

So I made pickled rhubarb last weekend.  Probably something that was a little more popular 100 years ago.  But canning is back in style so I'm sure it's really hip.

I consulted several different recipes on-line and used elements of each.

Here's what I did:

Cut the stalks close to the ground.

Here's the recipe I used -  originally for 6 jars.  I increased the ingredients a little (that's what the plus signs mean) to get 7 jars, since that's how many you can fit in the canning pot.

• 3+ pounds of rhubarb
• 3+ cups water
• 2+ cups white vinegar (5%)
• 1 cup white wine vinegar (6% or slightly more is best for this one)
• 3+ cups sugar
• 1.5+ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pickling spice per jar

Pickling Spice Mix:  I made my own, without exact measurements.  It went something like this:

Greater Amount:  bay leaves (torn up); peppercorns; mustard seed
Smaller Amount:  cinnamon bark, cardamom, ground ginger, dill seed, dried dill, cumin, red chili flakes

You could also add whole cloves and allspice; I didn't have any, so I left those out.

I wanted to experiment with the flavor, so for some jars I used only pickling spice; in one jar I also put slices of fresh ginger, and in one jar I included a star anise (available at Asian grocery stores).

Next, I got the canning pot boiling, which takes forever!  I put the jars in while it heated up so that they would be sterilized.  I put the lids in a small pan of water to simmer, to sterilize them and soften the rubber seals.  (Actually, I started this stuff before I even went outside to pick the rhubarb.)

The water, vinegar, sugar and salt I put in a large pot on the stove and heated it, not to boiling.

Then I set out to cut the rhubarb.

I worked a lot on the first slice, to make sure it was the right height for the jar, leaving about an inch of  headspace. Then I used that slice to cut the other slices.  I made little piles based on how many I could fit into one jar.  (I used an extra jar I didn't actually can with for the measurements.)

I took the jars out after they had boiled for a while, and put about a teaspoon of pickling spice (and fresh ginger and star anise) in the bottom of the jars.  Then I filled them with their rhubarb slices.  Since there were a lot of left-over pieces, I cut these up small to make a relish in one jar.

Next I filled each jar with the hot pickling liquid.

**Important Step I Forgot!**  You're supposed to jiggle the jar or use a knife to get out the air bubbles.  I forgot to do this.  I looked it up, and it sounds like it won't make the food go bad, but it may discolor more because there was extra air in there, so not all of the air at the top was forced out during canning.  We'll have to eat them soon!

After wiping the jar rims with a damp cloth and drying off the lids, I put a lid and ring on each jar and tightened - not too tight.  Then I lowered each one into the hot water bath.  Enjoy your bath, guys!

After 10 minutes processing time, I lifted them out and left them alone overnight to cool and seal.

I don't know how other people end up with such nice-looking jars.  I thought I squished them in there pretty tight, but I think it wasn't tight enough, since they floated up and left all that space.  Oh well.  The important thing is whether they taste good.  We will find out in a couple of weeks, after the flavors have some time to infuse.  Next project is jam!