Saving the spring: rhubarb pickles

Ragazzi, you all probably know by now that Annalena loves her rhubarb.  And let us face it: rhubarb is not that easy to love.    Take a bite of it raw, and it almost bites you back.  Cook it, and you'd better have a heavy hand with the sugar.  And if you cook it, CAREFUL, because it will go from firm and solid to mush in about a nanosecond.

And yet... TRY to describe the taste of rhubarb without saying "rhubarb."  Best Annalena can come up with is a combination of apples and lemons when it's raw, and sour cherries and peaches when it's cooked and sweetened.   There is, truly, nothing else like it.  And that's why you see so many rhubarb recipes on this page. It's fun.  It's unusual.  And let Annalena tell you: rhubarb jam is a mean glaze on lamb.

So when her CSA list came out, and rhubarb was on the list, she thought "ok, fine.  What to do?"  And the CSA provided a recipe for pickled rhubarb.

OK, Annalena will pickle anything, and probably has .  But not rhubarb.  So she read through this recipe. Ridiculously easy. So carini, if you love rhubarb, and you want to save some of it against the time when it's gone (which will be pretty soon), try this.

You need about 12 ounces of untrimmed rhubarb, because by the time you trim the ends, and remove stringy bits,  you'll have a hefty half pound. That is in fact what you need:  about 8-10 ounces, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.  Put these in a sieve and toss them with 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt (if you don't feel like measuring that exactly, use a teaspoon.

Now, make  your brine.  It's rhubarb, so this brine is heavy on sweet stuff.  You combine a cup of sugar, a cup of apple cider vinegar (you could use white wine if you like), and then the juice and rind of an orange and a lemon (cut the rind into little pieces.  Don't use the white spot).  Now add a stick of cinnamon, three cloves, and two big teaspoons of yellow mustard seeds.  Don't leave these out.  make a trip and get some.  Also add a few slices of ginger. You don't have to peel it. 2-3 are fine. And, finally, if you are so inclined, a hot pepper.

Start heating this until the sugar melts into the vinegar.  Then lower the heat and steep this for fifteen minutes.

Get three 8 ounce jars ready.   They need to be clean, but these are refrigerator pickles, so you don't have to worry about stuff that will seal. We're not "canning" here.  No, no no.      Stuff the rhubarb into the jars as well as you can. CRAM the suckers in.    And when the liquid is lukewarm, spoon it into the jars, over the rhubarb.  You toss the cinnamon, but you use the other solids

You may find that  you are running out of brine, before you cover the third jar.  If so, augment what's left with half water, and half vinegar.  It will be fine.  Cover the jars, let them come to room temperature, and refrigerate them.

Don't eat these for a couple of days, to let the rhubarb pick up the flavor.  In the fridge, they are probably good for two months.  

This will seem to make a very small amount to those of you who adore rhubarb. Well, double the recipe.  Or triple it.  And put some of them down the next time you roast some heavy duty meat.  Annalena, because she is a lunatic, is making oxtails very soon.  She thinks the pickle may be  precisely the right thing that the dish needs.  How will you use yours?  Tell us all. SHARE!