My rhubarb plant.

I love experimenting with rhubarb as it is very versatile. When I was going through some cook books whilst enjoying a cup of tea and some sunshine I came across an interesting pickled rhubarb recipe in one of my favourite books about food preserving called ‘Salt Sugar Smoke’ by Diana Henry. The book is absolutely stunning and really inspiring so I decided to try the recipe out.

Researching recipes at the back step and soaking up some sunrays.

Here’s the recipe (which I slighly adjusted):

4 stalks of rhubarb (preferably forced as the stalks are more tender and really pink), 600 ml white wine vinegar (I used red as that was all I had), 1,100g granulated sugar, 1 small cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves (since I really like cloves I used 10).

1. Heat the vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

2. Cut rhubarb into pieces and poach briefly (approximately 2 minutes but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t become too soft which can happen very quickly).

3. Spoon the rhubarb into sterilised jars and cover. Wait until the vinegar sirup cools down and pour it in the jars. Seal and store in a cool dark place.

Pickled rhubarb is apparently delicious with mackerel, pâté or pork. I’ll leave it to mature for a week or so before trying it out. Perhaps with grilled goats cheese and toasted sourdough bread… yummy!