A recipe I've been sitting on for 4 years! Rhubarb Fizz with sweet/tart bubbles that dance on your tongue.
The above line is the perfect example of how bloggers can just make stuff up. I have no IDEA if these bubbles will dance on your tongue or not because at this point, my own Rhubarb Fizz hasn't finished fermenting. But my hope is there will be bubbles Jitterbugging across my tongue momentarily.
This recipe, you see, is one that was given to me by a fellow gardener several years ago. I kept it on file knowing I'd make it just the very second I got the chance. That chance happened 4 years and 2 weeks after receiving the recipe.
It's one of those things you keep putting off because you feel like it's a bit of a bother, but when you do it you realize it really isn't. Like making croutons. Or ripping up all the floors in your house, re-building part of them, then refinishing the old floor boards underneath. No, hold on ... that's not right. That is a bother.
Rhubarb Fizz
For this naturally fermented drink all you need is rhubarb, sugar, lemons, a bit of vinegar and water.
If your rhubarb plant is new or a bit sickly, you should really stop picking from it in June. But if it's big, healthy and just won't quit you can pick from it all season long. Mine is absurdly big, healthy and robust. If my rhubarb plant were a movie star it would be The Rock.
It's as simple as chopping everything up and stirring it together in a bowl or food grade container like a bucket or lemonade dispenser.
You let it sit covered for 2-3 days then bottle it. It must then rest for 2 weeks.
To bottle the rhubarb fizz you need bottles that are meant for things that are carbonated. That means glass bottles with swing stoppers that will expand a bit with carbonation and not explode. Home brew beer bottles would work well too.
You can get glass bottles with swing stoppers on them at Ikea and if you're in the U.S. swing stopper bottles are cheap on Amazon. I love the shape of these ones that are $17 for 6 bottles. In Canada the bottles cost twice as much on Amazon so it's a better deal to get them at an Ikea if you have one close to you.
Rhubarb Fizz
Ingredients
- 16 cups water
- 3 cups rhubarb chopped into 2" pieces
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 lemons chopped
- 11 tablespoon vinegar
Instructions
- Mix everything together and let sit, covered for 2 days.
- Strain the juice away from the fruit. (you can also put the fruit in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juices in there)
- Bottle the Rhubarb Fizz in bottles meant for carbonation and let sit for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: I've never had this go beyond a mild fizz, but some readers have experienced major carbonation. Explosive carbonation! Please scroll down to the bottom of DeannaCat's Kombucha post on Homestead & Chill to read about how to properly check and burp your carbonated bottles prior to opening them.
Tips:
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- To pick rhubarb grab it by the base of the stalk and pull upwards with a bit of a twist. (don't cut it with scissors)
- The more pink the skin fo the rhubarb you use, the more pink the drink will be.
- Keeps for approximately 1 month. I would refrigerate but apparently you don't have to?
- Pressing the rhubarb and lemons will make the juice cloudier. If you want a clear fizz, don't press and use any of the fruit.
- The gardener who gave me this recipe said the odd bottle might not work, so always give a little taste first.
And now, with you as my witness I'm going to try this Rhubarb Fizz for the first time ... stay right there, I'm going to run downstairs and taste it.
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It's delicious!! Bubbles danced on my tongue.
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Hey,
When preparing the self fermenting rhubarb soda, does it need to be refrigerated during the process?
thanks, Matt
Hi Matthew. Nope, you don't refrigerate it until your two week period (or one week if you like) of fermenting is over. So the two days of sitting in a bowl and the period when it's first bottled all happen at room temperature. Then you refrigerate it as soon as you like the taste. The longer you let it ferment on the counter the more fermenty it gets. So if you only like a little bit of fermentation you might decide to refrigerate it after just a week. The fridge stops the fermentation process. ~ karen!
Oh boy, this sure is an OLD receipe. In the meantime we got the soda stream for the bubbles! I am cooking rhubarb compot with the same ingredients except for the vinegar. Laddle off the juice and pour into a glass of bubble water made by soda stream. This way you don't have to wait 2 WEEKS. It is instantly - except for the cooking part. Tastes great.
Similar for sure! But not exactly the same because you're getting rid of the fermentation. Kind of like the difference between regular pickles and kosher fermented pickles. Same, but different. :) ~ karen!
Well that's the last time I share a recipe with you! 4 years years you sat on this! Just think of all the enjoyment missed by so many, because you didn't share😉
I am glad you like it and are sharing the joy now. I must say you should try it with my strawberry rhubarb plant. It gives such a beautiful pink colour and looks so lovely served over ice in a Mason jar with a paper straw😊
I am so happy to find that there is a recipe for rhubarb other than strawberry rhubarb pie. I have little respect for a vegetable with such a limited repertoire. Actually, I once rented a house that had rhubarb growing in the yard, but I didn’t know what to do with it, other than make a pie, so I never picked it. Besides, how can I trust a recipe from someone who has gone over to the dark side (eats Brussels Sprouts)?
I hope this reply is still good. I have a recipe for a rhubarb upside down cake that my kids and grandkids adore. And I love stewed rhubarb over ice cream. And you can use rhubarb to make a rhubarb meringue pie, just stew the rhubarb, pour it into a pre-baked pie shell and add a meringue. Bake the pie with the meringue and chill, it’s always a hit! Let me know if you need a recipe.
My husband is a home brewer so we have the bottles (and caps) around all the time. We are definitely giving this a try.
The February/March issue of The Mother Earth News has a recipe for what they call Pit Soda. It's made from a mango pit fermented similarly to the way your soda is. When you cut up a mango the pit is still covered in quite a bit of flesh you can't get off. The soda is a great way to make use of the wasted flesh. I'm going to go further. My son's mango tree drops its fruit and they get smashed. I'm going to salvage them and cut them up and and use your recipe to make mango soda. If you don't have your own rhubarb bed or a mango tree you can use strawberries or summer stone fruits, too.
One word of caution: the fermentation process gives off carbon dioxide and must be vented to prevent explosions. Use a fermentation lock on the bottles you use or ferment in a wide mouth mason jar with a Pickle Pipe to vent the gas. After the initial fermentation the vents can be replaced with conventioal caps. And yes, the drinks must be stored in the refrigerator after the initial fermentation is done or it will continue to ferment producing alcohol continuously.
Thanks for the recipe. It looks delicious and makes me homesick for rhubarb, which doesn't grow in Florida.
Oh my - pour over ice, squeeze in some fresh lime juice and a shot of Patron silver and that's a whole new skinny margarita, yum yum!
Sounds delish. Hope when you say chop up the rhubarb you don't include the leaves !
Oh good lord no! You just reminded me of the movie from years ago with Maggie Smith & Michael Palin about an English couple who kept a pig in their house and fed it rhubarb leaves with gross yet hilarious results!!🙄😬
Hi Karen , wow, perfect timing for this recipe as I have rhubarb in the garden waiting to be put to use!
2 questions : once it is strained and bottled does it rest for 2 weeks at room temperature or in the fridge?
And could it made with apple cider vinegar or would it be better to stick to the plain (clear) type of vinegar ?
Wish we had rhubarb in Florida but even the stores carry it sporadically and never when I'm there. This sounds delightful and just the sort of experiment I would love to try.
well durn it. It's way past rhubarb season here. And I'm NOT buying the ridiculously priced Wholepaycheck/Amazonownstheworld stuff for this. I will hoard this recipe and hope to remember it during next year's season.
i have been thinking about making a strawberry kombucha-like drink since I have so many strawberries in the garden right now. This sounds close to that but with rhubarb. I think I will try this and add a few strawberries 🤗 Thanks for the inspiration,as always!
Wait, someone said it tastes boozy.... is it fermenting in THAT way?
If not then I'm all in. I assume not but just checking.
It's a regular yeast fermentation and will taste boozy if you leave it too long. Just the same way sourdough starter turns to alcohol if left too long. It doesn't actually turn to booze and there would be no alcoholic content in it if you make it like this and only leave it for a week or two to ferment. Like grape juice isn't alcohol, but if you left it to sit in your basement for 4 years, it might become alcohol. ~ karen!
An important FYI-
Please only use flip top bottles that are manufactured to hold liquids under pressure. Many flip top bottles are not. More decorative than functional.
I have heard tell of some explosive messes when people use the weaker bottles. And possibly even injuries can occur. I have only had 1 explosion but I don't ever want to have to clean up that kind of mess again. It is amazing how much territory we had to clean up after our one explosion. Ceiling, cabinets(every last one in the kitchen), floor, all covered with glass and water kefir liquid (which is very similiar to what you are making).
I use bottles that were made for the brewing industry. I would only buy these or use recycled grolsch bottles, a brand of beer that was once famous for selling their brew in flip top bottles.
Have you ever made a “shrub”?
It’s all the rage in Austin bars.
I haven't but I'm familiar with shrubs. Very similar. ~ karen!
Heeeyyyyyy....protip.....don't forget about these things for 8 weeks then open them in the kitchen under your ceiling tiles....unless you're keen on pink ceiling tiles.
Also they're kinda boozy tasting after 8 weeks.
Yes, they would be quite boozy, lol. And bubbly. Be proud, you've basically made champagne. ;) ~ karen!
My rhubarb is a MONSTER this year! It's growing faster than I can give it away! And I love homemade lemonade, this should be delightful. Quick question, I'm diabetic, I sweeten with Splenda. I have my baking down pat, I know just how much sugar is needed for leavening. But what about this? Do I need any sugar?
the sugar is needed for the fermenting process, so maybe you could use less, and sweeten with splenda in the end. But I don’t think you could leave it out entirely. I’m not an expert though 😄
Fermentation takes place because you are feeding the natural yeast on the rhubarb. Without the sugar, the yeast does not reproduce and make alcohol. The good news is, they eat all the sugar until the alcohol gets too concentrated and kills them. You can add a little less sugar and taste to sweeten when the fermentation is all done if it needs it but don’t eliminate the sugar altogether.
I think the swing top bottles are called grolsch (sp.) bottles. Love rhubarb, i can not wait to try this.
Grolsch is a specific brand of beer that happened to use flip top bottles. So only ones put out by that company are called that.
But it is important to only use new or recycled flip top bottles that are made for liquids that will be stored under high pressure. I have had water kefir bottles explode and it is not a pretty site.
This will go fabulously with our family tradition rhubarb pancakes for Sunday brunch and just happen to have a few plants in the garden, thanks again for a great idea delivered with such style.
Shottiche, my bubbles are certain to do the shottiche. Or the Watusi. Thanks for this recipe, my tongue was just sitting there bored.