As a child I wasn’t sure about rhubarb, as an adult, I adore this tart-tasting plant and am excited to share this energetic, grown-up, applesauce; Rhubarb Applesauce.
Growing up in Washington I (Emmaline) was not a stranger to Rhubarb. My paternal grandparents lived in North Central Washington in a little tiny town with just over 2,000 residents. There are a few memories I have of the area, the first is shopping at Wybarks for fabric so grandma could sew my cousins and I school clothes, ice cream cones just down the road, the neighbor named “BUNNY” who I remember being a little quirky like her name, and my grandparent’s garden. A jungle of plant yummies outlined by my grandmother’s beloved RHUBARB plants.
My grandmother was one of the influencers of my canning passion and I remember her Rhubarb canning recipes. This is not her recipe, rather it is one Marie wrote, but it is reminiscent of “grandma’s” and brings her to the forefront of my mind as I eat it.
My grandmother loved Rhubarb and Strawberries as well as rhubarb and Apples together. I know this recipe would be GRANDMA APPROVED!
Rhubarb Applesauce
This recipe makes approximately 7-Quarts of Rhubarb Applesauce.
Ingredients:
15 lbs Apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
6 lbs Rhubarb (chopped)
1/2 cup water (more as needed)
2 cups Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Prepare Ingredients and Cook Applesauce:
slice the apples and rhubarb
Peel, core, and slice 15 lbs of apples and chop 6 lbs of rhubarb.
simmer in water to soften (We ended up needing to do two pans.)
Place them into a large pot on the stove. Add 1/2 cup water and soften the apples. Keep an eye on the apples, stirring them regularly to ensure they soften without burning. Add additional water as needed if the liquid cooks off too much.
blend to desired consistency
Blend the soft apples and rhubarb to the consistency that you like for your sauce.
add sugar and spice
Add 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook until it reaches your desired thickness.
Canning Rhubarb Applesauce:
fill jars
Fill the quart jars with rhubarb applesauce leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.
Make sure to debubble the jars and wipe the rim before adding the lid and ring.
Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.
processing complete
Once your Rhubarb Applesauce has completed processing, space the jars about an inch apart on a cloth on the counter for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.
Remove the ring and wash off the jar paying particular attention to the threads.
If your jar did not seal, then place it in the fridge and use it immediately. Store the sealed jars in your pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best in the first year.
If you have any questions about canning with a pressure canner or how to adjust the pressure or processing time for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.
Helpful Videos:
