Sunday 2 June 2013

Rhubarb Bubbles!

YUM rhubarb!  And even better, bonus rhubarb given to us :-)


We did plant some rhubarb up at the cottage on Victoria Day weekend, but well, we haven't been back yet... we're obviously not tending to it very well (hopefully the combination of sun, rain and the crazy mix of temperatures have done good things for it!) so definitely haven't had any produce from it yet.

So, getting some fresh rhubarb unexpectedly last Sunday was definitely a bonus!!  But what to do with it... We didn't have loads, and having just baked brown sugar and coffee mini muffins that morning, a crumble or pie wasn't really high on the list of things to bake...there are just two of us after all and there's only so much we (at least, I) can get through in a week!

So, with rhubarb being Jonathan's ABSOLUTE favourite flavour, favourite filling, favourite ANYTHING we had to do something great with it.  *Puts thinking cap on*

Last Summer after our amazing trip driving and camping around the east coast of Canada, the last few days of the trip were spent travelling back home, returning through a little of the east coast of America.  Some amazing flea markets and a quick stop at some small fishing villages and a stop in the beautiful town of Belfast, Maine... Okay why am I telling you all this little story... well in Belfast we found an amazing soda shop, called 'Dave's Old Fashioned Soda Fountain' serving all kinds of sodas in all kinds of flavours.  Flavour of the day was Strawberry... Jonathan ordered a large... Only to be told it was actually Strawberry-Rhubarb, was that okay?  IT WAS LIKE 10 YEARS OF CHRISTMAS COMING ALL AT ONCE!  For real, he was so excited.  Strubarb SODA!?

And yes, it was really that good!

So... with this in our memories from last Summer, and with the addition of Jonathan's Soda Stream I bought for his birthday present we got to making some syrup so we could enjoy rhubarb soda without travelling 11 hours to get back to this soda shop (yes I know, I'm sure somewhere else serves it here in Toronto too, we just haven't come across it!).


We made a basic syrup using:

4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

First things first, chop the rhubarb!  Since we though we might want to do something with the remaining fruit once the syrup was strained, we cut it quite thin, but not too thin!  Judge for yourselves from the pictures!!



4 cups see!!  We were actually surprised we got this much... from around 6 or 7 stalks of rhubarb.


Add the sugar, water and rhubarb to a large saucepan.




 Bring to the boil.  Once the water is boiling turn the heat down to a simmer.


Leave to simmer gently for around 20 minutes, until the liquid has started to thicken a little.


We then strained the liquid into a bowl through a sieve.  The liquid was an amazing pink colour, whilst the remains of the rhubarb, perhaps I'll call it the pulp - stayed in a nice big clump... what to do with that!?  Keep reading...


When the syrup was cool we put it into a mason jar and kept it in the fridge!  For about 250ml soda (in my new favourite super cute coca-cola glasses) we put in 2 tablespoons of syrup, but it is really to taste - I have a feeling Jonathan put in more to get an even bigger rhubarb flavour :-P


So here's where the 'and more' comes in...

The remaining pulp like part of the rhubarb fit a small mason jar perfectly, and seemed like an ideal consistency exactly what you'd want for spreading on toast!  Not exactly jam, no jelly like part, but rhubarb spread!

So far we have enjoyed a pink rhubarb syrup soda stream drink this weekend, as well as a few slices of rhubarb spread on toast as a little snack :-)  ... Tea, a drink with jam and bread right?!


And yes, I have been playing with the awesome 'Beautiful Mess' app this week!
Try it out with this season's rhubarb!  

And don't forget my new Facebook page is always looking for new followers and friends!  Click here to 'Like' my page and get Sew Lah Tea Dough updates right to your newsfeed.

31 comments:

  1. This looks SOOOO good!! I LOVE me some rhubarb and I also love flavored syrups! Yum!
    Heidi @ handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much Amber! Great to have you here, and love that you like the sound of this combination, it really is yummy!

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  2. Looks wonderful~ Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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  3. Our rhubarb is just getting serious. Am going to try this recipe.

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    1. Jealous of your serious rhubarb and all of your possibilities! Hope you get to try this :-)

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  4. This looks so good. I love rhubarb.
    Debi

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  5. Wow this looks really yummy. I have never tasted rhubarb though, haha it's about time! We would love it if you would link up at our linky party:
    Two Girls and a Party
    Live every Wednesday to Sunday. Hosted by:
    Dana @ This Silly Girl's Life
    Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
    We hope to see you there!

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    1. Thanks for inviting me to your party Dana! Coming by to check out your site now :-) Hope you get to try rhubarb soon, it can create some really yummy recipes!

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  6. I got your comment on my changing table desk, so I came over to check out what you had. My husband loves rhubarb and soda, this is a perfect combo for him.
    Thanks
    Jackie

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    1. Wow just like my husband!! He is a HUGE fan of rhubarb and can't get enough of soda... I hope your husband loves this as much as mine does :-)

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  7. Oh my word, this sounds fabulous! I adore rhubarb in any form.
    Thanks for stopping by!
    New follower. :)
    Rebekah

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    1. Mm me too! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog, great to have you here :-)

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  9. THIS LOOKS GREAT ,BUT DO YOU HAVE ONE FOR RASPBERRY??? JN THANK YOU

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    1. Ooh good idea!! Maybe you can make the raspberry syrup and then add to soda in the same way?

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  10. How yummy! Love rhubarb! Found you via the Family Fun link party! Feel free to link up at our party, too!

    http://mommifried.com/ladies-only-blog-share-link-party-dedicated-to-dad/

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    1. Hi Crystal, thanks for inviting me over to your party - coming by to check out your blog now :-)

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  11. Oh my yummy! This reminds me I need to get out and pick my rhubarb. I wonder if there is a way to make soda without a soda stream? Thank you for sharing it at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great weekend!

    Hugs,
    Deborah

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    1. Hi Deborah, thanks for stopping by! I think if we didn't have our soda stream we would use sparkling water along with the homemade syrup. And actually last week we added some of the syrup to diet coke and it was INCREDIBLE :-D Way better than vanilla diet coke and cherry coke in my opinion!!

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  12. Yummy! I love naturally flavored sodas. Pinning this for later, just in case someone (like my sister)decides to give us rhubarb!

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    1. Hehe sounds like a great plan :-) I hope she does!!

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  13. Ok, I am absolutely loving the idea of making homemade syrups and using them to flavor soda water! What a fabulous idea - not to mention such a fun flavor like rhubarb. Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesdays, hope you have a great weekend. :)

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Jess - I hope you get to try this out :-)

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  14. You hit the nail on the head with this Man Food, momma! My husband has been DYING for a sodastream & rhubarb is one of his favorite things! Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! I’ve pinned this & shared it with my followers! If you’re looking for a way to increase your Facebook followers, come join my Facebook linky this weekend! Here’s the link: http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/albumen-powder-macarons-facebook-like-hike-4.html

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to check this out... it really is my husband's favourite combination of things, rhubarb and soda. Two perfect combinations! I hope your husband likes it too :-D

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  15. What an amazing idea, I too am a big Rhubarb fan, sounds like something I should try :) Thank you so much for sharing on Tutorial Thursdays Linky Party, I look forward to seeing what you share with us this week.
    x
    Natalie
    Marigolds' Loft

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    1. MM yes me too, I LOVE rhubarb and there are so many possibilities for it, all delicious! Hope you get to try this out :-)

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  16. What an interesting flavor idea! I have not played around with those fabulous soda machines. I have always been a huge fan of Italian soda's though and I think this would be wonderful like that! Krista @ A Handful of Everything

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    1. Yes for sure! I think you could add it to any soda water, and we tried it with diet coke last week and it was SO delicious!!!! Loved it way more than any other flavoured coke I've tried before :-) Thanks for stopping by!

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