Sweet Fermented Rhubarb

Rhubarb is the first fruit of spring season. Its beautiful red colour comes with a tartness that usually has rhubarb paired with sweet desserts. In comparison, sweet fermented rhubarb has a mild flavour that doesn’t require any additional sweetness.

Fermented rhubarb is delicious straight from the jar or pureed into a fresh sauce. Either way it is perfect serving with all the usual suspects:

• ice cream
• yogurt
• waffles
• pancakes
• crumble

It’s also delicious as part of a cheese platter or a unique burger or hotdog topping.

Sweet Fermented Rhubarb

Fermented rhubarb is a delicious way to preserve the first fruit of the season. It can be left whole or pureed into a pretty pink sauce.

• Author: Emillie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart jar 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Fermented
• Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups of rhubarb, diced (approximately 6 stalks)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp starter culture (see notes)
• 1 cup of filtered water, or enough to cover
• 1 tbsp organic ginger root

Instructions

1. Dice the rhubarb.
2. Don’t peel the ginger because the skin will help with the fermentation. The ginger can be left in large chunks so it can be removed before serving, otherwise chop it finely.
3. Mix the filtered water and sugar in a glass jar until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the culture.
4. Add the rhubarb and ginger to the jar, then top with enough filtered water to keep the fruit submerged, while leaving at least 1″ of head room at the top of the jar.
5. Leave the jar to sit out on the counter to ferment for 2-3 days.
6. After 3 days the rhubarb will have developed a mild, sweet flavour. At this point you can either leave it whole or puree it into a sauce. It may be “sparkling,” however, that should mellow out after a few more days.
7. Store fermented rhubarb for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, or freeze it in a straight-sided mason jars for winter eating.

Notes

• This recipe is designed for a yeast-based culture. Ginger bug will add a delicious ginger-y flavour to the rhubarb. You could also use kombucha, water kefir or milk kefir whey. If you want the rhubarb to have a savoury flavour try cultured apple cider vinegar.
• The leftover fermenting liquid can be reused for a second batch of rhubarb. It also makes a cordial that is delicious when mixed with sparkling water.
• I generally don’t use sugar in recipes, however, this ferment relies on sucrose to feed the culture. If you are looking for a salt-brined fermented rhubarb, check out this recipe from Katie at Tracebridge Sourdough.

Keywords: vegan, gluten free, 5 ingredients or less, diary free, nut free, soy free, beverage, probiotic, spring, summer