Recipe: Pickled Rhubarb

A couple weeks back I had the pleasure of attending the Mushroom Shop Spring Dinner at Field and Vine in Somerville. The menu was a delicious tour of New England’s spring veg including morels, black locus flower, ramps, nettles, and asparagus, Many of these were foraged by Tyler owner of the Mushroom Shop. The meal ended with a lovely little cake topped with pickled rhubarb and cream. I love rhubarb and somehow hadn’t had it picked before. 

The rhubarb burst with tart, sweet, and sour flavors like some sort of natural Jolly Rancher. Mind-blown. I knew I had to make a jar right away. Once I did I found myself sneaking this pickle (including the brine) into every dish I cooked for an added burst of sweet + sour acidity. This pickle is a great early summer treat and dead simple to make.

I used a quick pickle method where a hot brine of vinegar, water, salt, and sugar is poured over a cold vegetable. This works well with a wide variety of fruit and veg so it’s a good one to have in your back pocket.

The method is pretty simple: equal parts vinegar + water are combined,  then sugar and salt are dissolved in a sauce pan over medium heat. I use this method often and modify it depending on what I’m pickling. For the rhubarb I opted for a blend of sweet vinegars: apple cider and strawberry. This amplified the rhubarb’s sweetness, incorporated another spring flavor (bonus points), and yielded a brine that was also usable for other recipes. Cardamom and ginger were added to give it more depth of flavor.

Quick Pickled Rhubarb

2 cups chopped rhubarb 

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup Acid League Strawberry Rose Vinegar 

1 cup water 

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar 

Cardamom pods 

A few slices of raw ginger 

Combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Turn off, cool for a minute or so, then pour over jarred rhubarb. Pour slowly so not to splash hot brine. You’ll want the rhubarb to be fully submerged so add a little more water or vinegar if it’s not. Seal and leave on the counter overnight to cool. Should be ready to use in the morning. Store in fridge. 

To make a cocktail, use 1 part brine to 2 or 3 parts soda. Gin or sake would be lovely with it. Garnish with fresh basil and a lemon twist.

To make a dressing use the brine in place of some or all of the acid in a dressing recipe. A vinaigrette with this would be amazing.