There's this great little group here in Cleveland, headed up by Kelli Hanley-Potts, called The Agrarian Collective. Their mission is to revive the lost skills of the home. Kelli teaches her following how to pick berries, build fires, forage, make jam, make pickles, make ice cream... Obviously, we're totally behind their DIY approach and we've found an awesome friend and partner in Kelli.
So, a few weeks back, she showed us how to make Rhubarb Compote & Rhubarb Cordial from the head of her portable field kitchen parked at the Cleveland Flea. It's only fair that we share that know-how with you as well as the recipes for how we used our rhubarb-two-ways.
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| This is the super-neat setup for the Agrarian Collective at the Cleveland Flea. |
Preparing the rhubarb two ways is surprisingly simple.
Step One: Take a couple pounds of rhubarb, chop it into smaller pieces.
Step Two: Throw it in a pot with a cup and a half of sugar and a little water to coat the rhubarb. Use a wooden spoon to toss the rhubarb in the sugary liquid and completely coat it.
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| Here, the collective cooks down their rhubarb atop the portable field kitchen. |
Step Three: Bring the rhubarb to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for 30 minutes, or until the rhubarb falls apart.
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| Rhubarb, just before it falls apart into a nice compote for us. |
Step Four: Use a
Cone Strainer to separate the compote from the cordial, then use the pestle to mash the rhubarb a bit. That's it!
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| The finished products: Rhubarb Cordial and Rhubarb Compote |
So what the heck is this stuff for then? How do Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce and Rhubarb-Ginger Margaritas sound? "Awesome." Yeah we know. Recipes below:
