Rhubbarb…is it just for spring time?

Some friends of ours called the other day and asked what we were doing.  We told them cutting rhubbarb to make a pie.  They were shooked!  They told us rhubbarb was just to be harvested in the spring…not in the hot summer like we were doing.  

Well I say NO!  Rhubbarb isn’t just for spring time.  I harvest mine from spring to fall.  Granted, at this time of year I occasionally get a tough stalk but I just peel the outside off.  When the seed heads come up, I pull them out and continue harvesting throughout growing season.  I have never had a problem with the rhubbarb killing out over the winter either.

My husband would be lost without rhubbarb pie or rhubbarb crisp so I continue to harvest.  Today’s harvested rhubbarb turned into a batch of freezer jam.  It’s another of my mom’s recipes….here it is.

7 cups of rhubbarb chopped small
4 cups of sugar
Mix these together in a pot and put on the stove on medium low heat.  Cook bringing it to a ten minute boil.

Add 2 small packs of raspberry jello….the generic sugar free kind worked just fine.  Add a can of blueberry pie filling.  Stir.  Let cool.  Put in containers and freeze.

If you are a rhubbarb fan…don’t be afraid to continue harvesting throughout your growing season.  The plant will continue to produce fresh new stalks and you can enjoy wonderful dishes like this jam…and of course rhubbarb pie!