A country kitchen

Wednesday 20th June 2012
Summer Solstice.

Rhubarab, rhubarb, rhubarb...

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb! Rhubarb crumble, rhubarb and custard, rhubarb and ginger jam, rhubarb and vanilla jelly, rhubarb chutney. Yes, Sue has been busy plundering Don's rhubarb!

And the latest? Rhubarb vodka and rhubarb leather. The last of these is thin sheets of rhubarb juice and puree dried on a low heat in the oven. The end product is packed with flavour and the tartness of the rhubarb adds a tangy bite.

Sue's been getting boozy too. The cider has been siphoned out of the demijohns and is all bottled up ready for consumption. It just needs a gorgeous, hot summer's day to provide the perfect opportunity to christen it.

Then there's this...

Elderflower champagne.

It's best to pick the elderflowers on a hot, sunny day, but if we waited for one of those there'd be no flowers left! The potion was mixed in a large cauldron (aka large, plastic bin) and left for a day. Then into bottles to ferment. We did try some of the liquid and it was pleasantly refreshing. Another drink for a hot summer's day.

We now wait a week and hope the bottles don't explode. We'll keep an eye on them and release some pressure if need be. We've tried plastic and glass bottles to see which work best and they're all packed in a bin with pillows on top just in case they blow up! We'll let you know how it turns out.

Meanwhile, this could just be the beginning of the next glut...

Strawberry wine anyone?