I’m nowhere near done with cheese, but you have to put something on your cheese tray besides cheese, right? And I don’t want you all to miss out on your spring pickles! By the time I’m done with cheese, rhubarb and aspargus will be all gone until next year in Philly, so here you go: a simple, spring recipe.
If you regularly read this blog, you’ll know that I recommend pickles as an excellent fermentation starting point. Why? They are nearly foolproof if you know a few rules! The first and most important trick is picking the right vegetables. There are a few things I haven’t been able to get to work well, many others that work well with some tweaks, and a ton that work with very little effort. The second key is submersion. If your veggies are submerged under brine, that gives you the anaerobic conditions that are necessary for the LAB to thrive. The third rule is temperature, room temp works great! Get below 65ish degrees and we’re talking some serious sluggishness and potential that the bacteria never get kicking. Above 80 or so, things might start to ferment too quickly, or it may get too hot for your LAB to start their happy processes.
So here’s one that’s super easy and popping up at the farmer’s markets all over town at the moment: rhubarb! As always, with pickles, feel free to change out the seasonings for what you have on hand or what you prefer. I actually think these rhubarb pickles would be great with nothing but salt. The tangy, fruity notes of fresh rhubarb can stand alone!
I got these veggies at my local farmer’s market at Headhouse Square. It is operated by the renowned Food Trust, a local organization dedicated to eradicating food deserts and educating kids on their food choices. I’m pretty proud that they call Philly home and I’m grateful for the local bounty that they, and a couple other wonderful organizations to bring into the city.
Rhubarb Pickles
yields about 1 quart of rhubarb pickles
fermentation time will be approximately 2 weeks
I usually make my single quart batches of pickles while I’m preparing another meal. I already have the cutting board out, so it really adds no time to dinner prep and the payoff is pretty huge!
Ingredients
- 5 relatively slender stalks (about 1 inch wide) of rhubarb, leaves removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces (the leaves are toxic, so seriously, don’t use them)
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 stem green garlic, chopped into 1-inch pieces (sub 2, whole garlic cloves if you can’t get green garlic)
- Room temperature brine (I make mine by stirring 1 T of salt into 2 c water until dissolved)
How-To
1. Place all ingredients except brine into a 1 quart jar making sure that your bay leaf stays whole. You may layer in your mustard seeds and bay leaf for visual effect, but I have not found that their position in the jar influences flavor
2. Pour brine into jar, ensuring that there is enough liquid in which to submerge your rhubarb
3. Use cheapo jar method or similar to submerge your veggies
4. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 weeks or until desired acidity is achieved
5. Enjoy while they last! These are the go-to jar for my husband at the moment
Cindy @ Elgin Harvest says
Your rhubarb looks amazing and so delicious!
I’m definitely going to try your recipe but I don’t know what green garlic is. In your beauty pics it almost looks like baby leeks sliced into 1-inch pieces. Am I on the right track?
Thanks for sharing your ideas and pics! Much inspiring.
Amanda says
Hi Cindy,
Sorry I missed your comment. Green garlic is just spring garlic, long stems still attached. It looks a lot like garlic at the base, it’s just that the cloves aren’t fully differentiated from one another (you’ll see them when you slice it). It isn’t as pungent as garlic, but still provides a great, garlicky taste. I sometimes grow garlic and that’s a great way to get them cheap. Otherwise, it’s off to the farmer’s market!
Let me know how your pickles turn out!
Amanda
Hannah says
Could wild ramps be used in place of the green garlic??
Amanda says
Sure! Although the leafy parts of ramps will probably take on a less than pleasant texture, so I’d focus on using the root end. Enjoy!
Becky says
I’m going to give this a whirl. I’m guessing that with this you use kosher or pickling salt, just as you do with other pickles?
Amanda says
Hi Becky,
Any salt will do! I like to use sea salt because it has a higher mineral content and the fermentation process makes minerals more bioavailable, but you can use anything at all. Unlike vinegar pickles, these are going to get cloudy no matter what kind of salt you use. With rhubarb, that makes for a pink, cloudy, pretty brine but with vegetables with plainer color schemes, the brine will just look cloudy.
Let me know how they turn out!
Amanda
Madame Fromage says
Lactopickles! These look absurdly good — so perfect for goat cheese. You are genius!
Amanda says
Thanks, Madame! They are tasty. If I can get my hands on some more rhubarb, I’ll bring you some. We ate the whole quart!
Dona says
I made a gallon of these pickles and patiently waited the two weeks. Today, the two weeks is up. These are absolutely delicious. I can’t stop eating them!
Amanda says
So glad to hear it, Dona! Along with snap peas and asparagus, my rhubarb pickles are at the top of my pickle list for this year (so far). Glad you love them, too! We got through a quart in like two days. Then I made a half-gallon, and those are long gone, though there’s no more rhubarb to be found around here anymore.
Dona says
I’ve already eaten almost a half gallon by myself already today. No one will try them! It’s probably just as well.
I love this recipe. People put vinegar and sugar and all sorts of things in pickles but these are just right for me. I may reduce the salt a wee bit. Other than that, I’m so glad no one else wants to give them a try.
Sara says
Oh man, I am totally trying these this year. I made a sweeter refrigerator version from Kim Ode’s Rhubarb book last year (it goes with a kale salad recipe -so good!) and I found they were a good sub for celery in lots of things. Didn’t think to try a fermented version 🙂
Amanda says
Hi Sara,
Sounds delish! I haven’t added that pickled rhubarb to any kale salads yet, but now that’s definitely on the agenda!
Gina says
I started 2 half gallon jars of these 3 days ago. As of yet, neither jar has any bubbles coming up to the top like my other ferments usually do…. Does this mean I did something wrong? I followed the recipe completely except for the green garlic (I just had the regular garlic). Did yours bubble?
Amanda says
Hi Gina,
These aren’t vigorously bubbly. More along the lines of a cucumber than a cabbage. If you taste them in a few days and they aren’t more acidic, then something went wrong, but I would be surprised if that’s the case. The green garlic definitely does help the fermentation along in this one, so you might want to give it some extra time.
Thanks for reading!
Amanda
Gina says
Thanks, Amanda! I appreciate your time and wisdom! I have tasted them and they have lost a lot of the sourness of the rhubarb and are more salty than anything I guess… My tastebuds are not as sensitive as some. I do like them and can’t wait for the 2 weeks so I can start eating them! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda says
Hey Gina,
Generally they should be sour, or at least acidic, but definitely give them a bit more time before making your final judgment! Let me know how they turn out.
Kim says
WOW!!!! These are amazing!!!
Amanda says
Thanks, Kim!
DREW says
how much salt?
Shelly M says
So- once its ready, do you close the jar and put in the fridge? Or are these supposed to stay at room temperature in the jar. Quite a basic question, but it isn’t clear to me as this is my first fermentation experience, it’s been super fun! i think the rhubarb is ready, its been over 2 weeks, but it is still quite crunch.
Amanda says
Hi Shelly,
Yes, I remove the weight, tighten the lid and place them in the fridge. You know they’re ready when they taste sour enough for you! I hope you enjoy them!
You may want to check out the pickles overview for info you can apply to any fermented pickle recipe:!
Bram de Volder says
Hi Amanda,
I tried your promising recipe. The rhubarb is now in the jar for over a week, and I am very exited to start trying in a few days. I started to get a little worried as I am seeing some kind of flakes appearing on the chopped rhubarb pieces. Is this part of the process? (I am not so experienced with fermentation yet)
Amanda says
Hi Bram,
I’m not sure exactly without being able to see it, but sometimes sweeter vegetables can accrue a bit of extra yeast. This is very common in pepper ferments, for instance. It’s also possible that it’s just a normal part of the fermentation process. Check out this post on the cloudiness and white stuff that naturally occur during fermentation.
I hope that helps!
Bram says
Hi Amanda, thanks for your reply and the reference, it was really helpful. I just can’t be completely sure, but how can you be when so many micro-organisms are transforming your food into something…… REALLY tasteful! And my body seems perfectly happy with it. It certainly added to my enthusiasm about fermentation, and I am really starting to think about brining it to the next level (although I am still a rookie)… the farmer’s market in the south of Holland. Although it is still a premature idea, I can’t stop thinking about pickling it 😉 Any tips about that? Or is it just start doing it again…
Amanda says
Hi Bram,
I’m so glad you’re loving your ferments! I have no retail experience with vegetable ferments so I can’t offer you any tips on that, unfortunately. Here in the US, there are legal requirements that vary by state. That may be a great place to start for you.
Best of luck! I’m hoping to visit Holland later this year, so maybe I’ll see you at the farmers’ market :-).
Amanda
Signý says
Are these meant to be soft like an asparagus pickle or crunchy like a dill? Wondering if it would make sense to add tannins for crunch. (haven’t made them yet)
Amanda says
Mine stay crisp! No need for tannins in my experience.
Debb says
Good morning Amanda!
I have a technical question for you.
I made these rhubarb pickles two weeks ago which are ready to eat. I used a sea salt brine and used Fido jars. About a week into the fermentation process I noticed tiny white spots on the top of the rhubarb. More spots appeared but for the most part they seemed to have disappeared. Do you know what this would be and are these safe to consume?
The brine was 1 tbsp sea salt to 2 cups of water.
I appreciate your help!!
Debb says
Hi Amanda
Two more pieces of information to add to my question. I know it’s not kham yeast (as my sauerkraut has had that before) and also, the brine is still clear.
I look forward to your reply!
Dee says
Just set up a quart of these…well kind of. Only had two rhubarb stalks from CSA so added a bunch of young turnips (sliced), a couple of radishes (also sliced) and a garlic scape (cut into 1″ pieces). I have high hopes…
Lucy says
I was about 10 days into my 2-week ferment on these and they were starting to taste really good, but then yesterday I discovered mold growing on top of the brine. Should I throw it all out? Skim off the mold?