In light of the fact that I have a few recipes to post that call for unsweetened rhubarb juice, I figured I’d better post a recipe for rhubarb juice first! Very simple indeedy: you need rhubarb and water. And sugar, should you wish to make juice for drinking rather than to use in one of my recipes. (You can surely drink the unsweetened juice too! I just personally wouldn’t. )

 

Rhubarb Juice (makes about 1 litre)

 

1 kg rhubarb

750 ml water

200 ml sugar (or to taste)

(2 tablespoons lemon juice – optional)

 

Rinse and chop rhubarb stalks.

Place rhubarb and water in a saucepan and bring gently to boil. Simmer, partly covered, for 20-30 minutes, or until rhubarb has lost its colour and is beginning to break apart.

Set a colander over a bowl and line it with a cheesecloth (coffee filters work too). Pour the mixture into the colander and allow to drain for about half an hour. (You can use the drained rhubarb mush to make a pie, if you wish!)

You now have unsweetend rhubarb juice to use to make rhubarb curd or jelly sweets, for example. Or, continue to make sweetened rhubarb juice:

Pour the juice into a saucepan and add sugar (and lemon juice, if using). Bring gently to boil. Simmer, skimming off foam, until the juice is clear. Pour into clean, hot bottles and seal.

Store rhubarb juice in a cool place. Dilute or mix the juice to your liking.