Again with the Rhubarb

I think rhubarb season is starting to wind down. The 103 degree day we had today in Minneapolis didn't do these cold weather plants any favors. Luckily, I have been the recipient of 2 more rhubarb deliveries. A batch from my mother in law and a batch from my Grandma have given me more opportunities to make some sweet and tart goodies.

I used some of those blueberries from my freezer stash for this Blue-Barb Buttermilk Muffins. I followed this recipe, but just used a mix of rhubarb and blueberries. The recipe isn't anything fancy, but it was just what Paul was craving. He doesn't crave sweets very often, so when he does, I like to deliver.

I've been so happy with all of the recipes I have tried from Food in Jars, that I thought I would keep the good momentum going and try out Marisa's Orange Rhubarb Butter. The only change I made to the recipe was to add 2 vanilla beans.

My mother in law has not one, but TWO patches of rhubarb. One patch yields thick green stalks and the other yields thinner red stalks. I mixed them together for this double batch of butter.

The cooking time on this was quite lengthy, so I set it to simmer and took care of other chores around the house. Every 5-10 minutes I stopped by and gave it a good stir.

In the end I produced 5 jars of thick, rhubarb goodness. I look forward to having this richly flavored, yet low sugar option this winter. It'll be a nice change from the sweet jams I seem to be stockpiling!

I'd like to try combining rhubarb with other fruits that don't come into season until later in the summer. So, in order to extend the rhubarb season, I chopped and dry packed a few bags of rhubarb in the freezer. That chest freezer comes in so handy!