Juicing rhubarb is easy. All you need is just two to three ingredients like in this particular recipe, you need only two additives. It’s health beneficial and doesn’t contain any added sugar. The juice is super refreshing and works well for long summer days.
Contents
How to Juice Rhubarb step by step guide
What are the ingredients?
- The main ingredient for making rhubarb juice is obviously rhubarb. You will get rhubarb in its season, which is the late spring and early summer in the United States.
However, to get better results with your juice, forced rhubarb is the option for you. This Yorkshire forced rhubarb or Rheum rhaponticum is an out-of-season rhubarb, especially found in the Uk. You will get more tender stems with this version of rhubarb.
If you don’t find forced rhubarb, just look for the normal one with thinner, redder, tender stems and shiny skin.
- Along with the rhubarb stems, you will need eight cups of clean/filtered water.
Now, how to make it?
- To begin with the procedure, first, you need to slice the rhubarb stalks crosswise into small segments or, more precisely, one-inch sections.
Note: Before cutting your rhubarb, trim off the ends from each of the stalks. Discard the leaves if there are any. As the leaves are poisonous for their oxalic acid content.
- Place the sliced rhubarb segments into a pot and add water. Bring the pot over high heat, then cover and boil your rhubarb.
- It’s crucial to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Next, strain the liquid with the help of a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or a pitcher. Press the remaining solids in the strainer to get as much juice as possible. Here, you can line the strainer with a cheesecloth, but it’s not that necessary.
- Wait for 20 minutes, as the juice will separate by leaving a yellowish sludge at the bottom. Pour off the clear pink juice into a glass. Discard the sludge.
- Refrigerate the liquid for some time to make it chill.
- Finally, serve this fresh, cold rhubarb juice with some garnish and enjoy!
Recipe credit: serious eats
Other methods
Juicing rhubarb can also be done with the help of a juicer. In fact, this procedure takes less time than the mentioned one.
- First, wash the rhubarb stalks thoroughly and remove the leaves.
- Cut the stalks into small pieces that are approximately 4-6 inches in length.
- Take a juicer and place two to three pieces of sliced rhubarb at a time into the juicer feed. Note: Try to add a few stalks at a time. It helps to juice them more effectively.
- After juicing, 4 to 5 stalks stop the juicer and clean out the blade and filter. The reason behind this is the rhubarb stalks are quite fibrous and may become caught in the juicer.
- Next, turn the juicer again and continue juicing all the remaining rhubarb stalks.
- Finally, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher and extract clean juice from the solids. You can also drink straight after juicing.
- Serve the pink juice in a glass and add some ice to make it chill. Enjoy!
Tips and notes
- In case you are harvesting fresh rhubarb, select stalks that are about one foot long, as these rhubarb stalks are ready to be picked and juiced.
- Use the leftover fiber or solids from juicing rhubarb to pasta sauces, muffins, stews, and pies.
- You can store the juice for a week by using an airtight container in the fridge.
- Serve your rhubarb juice with ice, or you can add some simple syrup and use the mixture for vodka or gin. However, there are many other serving ideas, or you can come up with your own with this recipe.
Frequently ask Question on Rhubarb juice
Why juice rhubarb?
If you like healthy foods, then rhubarb is the best option for you. It’s rich in powerful antioxidants that are beneficial for your health. Juicing rhubarb can get you Vitamin K which is essential for both bone health and blood clotting.
Furthermore, with rhubarb comes a higher rate of fiber content. Study shows fiber helps to lower your cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attack.
However, juicing rhubarb may reduce the amount of fiber. That’s why not filtering the juice is a great idea to maintain its actual fiber contents. Along with antioxidants, rhubarb also features minerals that are very important for maintaining a sound body.
Can you juice frozen rhubarb?
You can juice frozen rhubarb by defrosting them. You will need less space in the pot with defrosted rhubarb so, you will naturally include less water. However, much of the liquid will release on its own.
Juicing frozen rhubarb is a little bit more concentrated compared to fresh rhubarb. Also, the color may get a bit deeper, but the taste remains the same.
Moreover, as you are diluting it to taste anyway, it doesn’t matter how concentrated the juice is.
Do you need to add sugar to rhubarb juice?
The choice is yours. However, raw rhubarb is quite sour so, simmering it may take the edge off. Therefore, you can juice rhubarb without adding any sugar. But you may mix different types of sweeteners and adjust the sweetness of the rhubarb juice according to your taste.