Can you freeze Rhubarb???

[Fog City Kid]

We love Rhubarb and it only has a short season out here one the left coast. Right now it's cheap and there is plenty of it. We would love to have a Rhubarb pie in the fall and winter.

TIA...

[Sophia.]

I froze a rhubarb compote and thawed it a year later (yeah, forgot about it back there) and it was, surprisingly, just fine. so I would say most emphatically yes! I love the posts about making the pie filling and freezing it--makes perfect sense...I will have to pass along to my mother the pie maven.

[bethnbillh]

One of the easiest and most versatile ways as far as recipe options after thawing... Rinse each stalk and wipe dry. Chop it into 1/2" dice and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet (pizza pan, whatever you have) and slide into the freezer. The next day, put it in a freezer bag and put back in the freezer. As much or as little as is needed for each recipe can easily be removed since it's not all stuck together. I sometimes take the time to slice several stalks on the diagonal and freeze this in a separate bag for upside down cakes which I make with a generic yellow cake mix.

[miss_mia]

My grandmother in Minnesota will sometimes send a surprise package to me here in the east, and yes as long as it is being cooked, it freezes beautifully.

There's a fabulous rhubarb crisp recipe on epicurious that has orange zest in it. yummmmm!

[Candy]

i buy frozen rhubarb out of season, my plants never took. As long as it is being cooked, no problem. As I kid I loved raw rhubarb with salt frozen would not work that way at all.

[julesrules]

You know what that makes me think, the sour rhubarb and salt?rhubarb margherita! I wonder...

[The Dairy Queen]

We tried making a rhubarbherita about a month ago. I hate to say it, but it wasn't a hit. We much prefer rhubarb slush. I googled for some recipes--most were virgin slushes, but I saw one recipe with gin. A friend used to keep a bucket of rhubarb slush in her freezer during summer--she made hers with vodka, I think.

~TDQ

[Funwithfood]

I froze some chopped rhubard, but have yet to use it. Disappointingly, the pieces have ice crystals on them now--wonder if it's still good to use...

[ExercisetoEat]

It should be just fine to use. I have some in my freezer that has been there for a year and I made a strawberry rhubarb pie with some of it last month. The pie turned out great. I measure out at least a cup more (frozen) than the recipe calls for and let it thaw in a large collander lined with paper towels. Once it is thawed I try to gently squeeze out the excess water (there's usually quite a lot). The rhubarb will look somewhat mushy, but once it's mixed in with everything else and baked in a pie, you'll never notice, and the taste is still terrific.

[JudiAU]

I make pie in season and freeze it without problem. I also make a simple, lightly cooked sauce and freeze that.

[Darren72]

I presume you could also make the pie filling now, and freeze that.

[Fog City Kid]

Holy Rhubarb Capt'n Jeff and Darren. Thanks for the tips. Will do both.
Thanks, I knew the Hounds wouldn't let me down one way or the other

[The Jeff Next Door]

My grandmother taught me to make the pie filling, put it into a ziplock bag, and then put the bag into a pie plate and freeze -- you end up with a frozen filling in the shape of a pie, perfect to toss into a crust. Apple pie holds its shape best, but rhubarb is passable.

[The Jeff Next Door]

My wife and I freeze rhubarb all the time. The best method is to just wash, chop, and freeze in a plastic container or ziplock freezer bag.