Rhubarb Syrup and Rhubarb "Butter"

Note: This is the start of a series of posts cataloging recipes that appeared in Dancing Crane Farm's newsletter for the 2009 growing season. I started writing recipes for the newsletter in late May, so most featured produce that was in season at the time, but obviously is not in season at the time of writing this post (like this recipe for rhubarb). No worries, spring will come again, just squirrel them away for the time being, or let them be a reminder of warmth and sunshine.

Early summer means rhubarb and it seems just about everyone in the U.P. knows someone who has more rhubarb than they know what to do with. I found this recipe for Rhubarb Syrup online, tweaked it a little, and after making a batch decided to turn the leftover goop into a tasty spread. The original recipe called for 4 cups of rhubarb, but for more of that distinctive rhubarb taste I'd use an extra cup. The syrup is great mixed with club soda or sparkling wine for a sweet rhubarb fizz, with lemon juice and water for rhubarb lemonade, or boil it a little longer to make syrup for pancakes. The rhubarb butter is great on toast, muffins, or oatmeal, and keeps well in the fridge. 

Rhubarb Syrup and Rhubarb "Butter"

 4-5 cups rhubarb, medium dice

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1-2 teaspoons peeled and finely minced ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb has broken down and mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.

For the syrup: Remove from heat and pour into a fine mesh sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl. Allow the liquid to drain out and give the cheesecloth a good squeeze to get as much liquid as possible from the mixture. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of bright pink syrup. This can now be reduced further if you want to use it for pancakes. The syrup will keep about a week in a sealed jar in the fridge.

For the "butter": Scrape remaining rhubarb goop into a food processor or blender. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. Process until everything is smooth and thick. Taste and adjust the spices and lemon juice to taste. This mixture will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for about a week.