Here is something a little different to do with spring's rhubarb bounty. And it is surprisingly delicious! These are spicy, sweet/tart little bites. You can eat them like a pickle on the side of something or straight out of the jar!
I am so happy to have discovered pickled rhubarb. The wineries in Niagara were featuring little bits of rhubarb preserved in various dishes and even dessert. So... that got me to thinking!
I was making a broccoli salad and wanted to feature mandarin pieces and toasted almonds. I was about to default to the dried cranberries for a touch of tartness when it struck me I had a quart of rhubarb pickle in the fridge. Result got rave reviews! You can check out my Broccoli Salad with Pickled Rhubarb here.
They are also a great side to ham or pork.
If you don't typically have Hot Cherry Peppers in your fridge you could use dried red pepper flakes. Depending on your tolerance for heat I would use between 1 teaspoon and 1 Tbsp.
If you don't have whole cloves I think you could substitute ¼ teaspoon or so of ground cloves. The cloves are one of the predominant flavours when the pickles are done.
Since you are not undertaking a full canning operation here you will need to keep them refrigerated. Refrigerated they will keep up to a month.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb rhubarb stalks about 3 large stalks
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cloves
- 3 Tbsps chopped fresh ginger
- 1 hot cherry pepper, pickled I used Aurora
Instructions
- Clean and trim rhubarb stalks. Cut into 2" pieces.
- Chop ginger and the hot cherry pepper.
- In a saucepan heat the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved, about 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add cloves, pepper and ginger, bring to a boil and cook 1 minute more.
- Clean a quart size jar.
- Put the rhubarb pieces into the jar and cover with the hot vinegar mixture. Make sure the rhubarb is covered fully. Cool and refrigerate. Will keep for up to a month in the fridge.
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