What a surprisingly yummy treat this was!
I always love a fun new condiment, and this Rhubarb Ketchup was just the ticket.
I have rhubarb coming out my ears--my new house has a plant, my mother has the 2 largest plants I have EVER seen, and my in-laws who are also in town have a very large, robust plant that they said I could have as much of it as I want.
So far this season, we've had rhubarb crisp, and I have canned 2 batches of my favorite orange-rhubarb jam, a batch of Rhubarb Victoria Sauce (more on that later--holy smokes that stuff is good on vanilla ice cream!), and now a batch of this rhubarb ketchup. And I still have buckets of this delectable little stalk!
I've also tried it on crackers with cheese--also fantastic.
I think it is much more like a chutney than an actual ketchup--it is chunky. The flavor is great though--tangy with lots of depth of flavor due to all the many spices in it. We used fire-roasted tomatoes too, and I thought that was great.
I think it'd be fun to make a batch with some cayenne pepper or other hot spice to really add some heat!
Anyway, if you are swimming in rhubarb and like to have fun with your condiments, then this is the recipe for you! Perfect for summer snacking and BBQs. And, depending on your personal preference, you can can it or you can just keep it in your fridge. Easy peasy.
1. Combine everything into a pot and cook until it is thick--ours took almost 2 hours.
2. Then you can either put it in containers and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks, or process it in a water bath canner for 15 minutes (plus altitude adjustment--we're up high so I processed it for 25 minutes total).
Putting up a fence for the goats!