Rhubarb is a special summertime treat. For those want to enjoy it year-round, though, you can capture the flavor of summer by canning rhubarb. You’ll thank yourself on that cold wintery day when you need a little extra summer warmth to get you through.

Yields about 6 pints (3 quarts)

Ingredients

4½ pounds rhubarb
1½ cups sugar

Directions

Wash the rhubarb and cut it into 2-inch lengths. Measure 12 cups of cut rhubarb and place them in a 12-quart, heavy-bottomed, stainless steel kettle. Add the sugar; stir lightly. Cover the kettle. Let stand 4 hours to draw juice out of the rhubarb.

Then, drain hot, sterilized, pint or quart jars, upside down, on a clean tea towel. Let stand.

Over medium-high heat, bring the rhubarb mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Boil the rhubarb 10 seconds only.

Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, pack the hot rhubarb (without syrup) into the prepared jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Using a 1-cup measuring cup with a pouring spout, cover the rhubarb in the jars with the hot syrup, maintaining ½-inch headspace. Using a plastic knife or a narrow, rubber spatula, remove the air bubbles in the jars. Then, check the headspace in each jar and if necessary, add additional syrup to maintain ½-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads. Place hot, metal lids on the jars and screw the bands firmly.

Process in a boiling-water canner for the time shown in the processing times chart at the end of this recipe.

Remove the jars from the canner and place them on a dry, wooden board that has been covered with a tea towel. Let the jars stand, undisturbed, 12 hours to cool completely.

Related stories:

Blue Ribbon Country Canning: Strawberry Jam Recipe

Recipe: Swedish Rhubarb Jam

Recipe courtesy of Blue Ribbon Country Canning Cookbook by Diane Roupe.

Photos by Erin Scott (Egg & Dart Press, 2013).

The post Homemade Canned Rhubarb Recipe (Capturing Summer in a Mason Jar) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Springtime is special. The birds and bees are out and about doting over every gorgeous flower. It’s a vibrant, flavorful time of year; and for the sweet tooth, it’s the berry best vegan dessert time of year!

Who doesn’t love a good dessert? As a vegan, I’ve learned to do without, more often than not, those cakes, cookies, tarts and pies that are usually slathered in butter and full of eggs. I can skip the wintery fruitcakes, pumpkin pies and heavy chocolatey treats, but it’s not quite the same in spring.

Spring is full of so many seasonal yummy berries and fruits that make desserts taste light and fresh, especially when they’re vegan. They’re certainly nothing to feel guilty about…at least not that guilty, anyway. In fact, some of them can be a bit on the healthy side…although, it’s never an excuse to overdo it!

Where to begin? How about the most spring of all treats…

Rhubarb

It’s the sweet treat of the season. And while a fruity rhubarb pie is a must, consider some of these other options, veganized:

1. Strawberry and Rhubarb topped Sundaes

2. Poached Rhubarb

3. Rhubarb Sorbet

4. Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Berries

Of course they’re perfect all by themselves…but sometimes we want to eat fancy foods.

5. Strawberry Shortcake

6. Strawberry Cobbler

7. Strawberry Pistachio Tart

Citrus

Citrus fruits are available year round, but their true season is winter through the end of May or so. And it’s a good thing because they make some of the best vegan desserts ever.

8. Key Lime Pie

9. Lemon Bars

10. Lemon Ginger Cookies

11. Lemon Cake

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: various brennemans

The post Tart, Sweet and Fresh: 11 Springtime Vegan Dessert Recipe Ideas appeared first on EcoSalon.

Putting summer’s bounty to good use. 

On a cool Sunday morning I was in the middle of rows upon rows of raspberries. Summer means u-pick season, and there’s something about standing in a field of berries that inevitably leads to overdose. Pick one, eat one, repeat. An hour and a half later I was on a sugar high and had my arms full of two cardboard flats with 13 pounds of raspberries.

13 pounds.

What does one do with 13 pounds of raspberries? Get to know your freezer, that’s what. But freezing berries doesn’t lead to instant gratification. A pile of raspberries on your kitchen table begs to be consumed right then and there. Taking my personal favorite Quinoa Cake recipe, I turned it into a muffin version, complete with summer’s other bounty, rhubarb. A few fresh figs laying around made their way into a quick and easy jam. Result? A raspberry treat that’s perfect for afternoon coffee.

Raspberry Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 large stalks of rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup raspberries
• 3 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup organic butter, melted (you can also switch this out for 1/2 cup coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions:

Cook quinoa and set aside. To cook quinoa, bring two cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa and a dash of salt and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until water has cooked off.

Mix dry ingredients.

Whisk butter and eggs together and add to dry mixture.

Combine all ingredients, including quinoa, and stir in rhubarb and raspberries. Note that these muffins have a dense, cake-like consistency.

Pour into lined muffin tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.

Raspberry Fig Jam

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh figs
• 2 cups raspberries
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2.5 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean pod

Directions

Cut the figs into small pieces, and place with raspberries and water in a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add both seeds and pod to saucepan.

Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Stir in sugar and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes or until jam thickens.

Take out the vanilla pod, pour jam into clean glass jars and let cool. If you’re feeling up to it, you can can the jam too which will allow it to keep longer. But I assure you you’ll eat this up quick enough.

Store jam in refrigerator.

The post Sunday Recipe: Raspberry Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins with Raspberry Fig Jam appeared first on EcoSalon.