Rhubarb

I just cut the rhubarb and put it in a freezer bag in the amount of cups you need for a recipe and throw it in the freezer. Most recipes will tell you what to do when thawing it out. Drain it but don't squeeze it or you lose the flavor. Some also use it frozen. Have done this for years. I am 65 years old and have been married for 45 years.

I just wash and cut it up put it in a ziplock and freeze it then when I want it I let it thaw before boiling it.

C.,

You can chop the rhubarb and just freeze it without boiling. YES you can use it later to make jam, it should work just fine. You might find that for bread it will be kind of mushy when it thaws. The freezing process breaks down the cellular structure of the rhubarb allowing the juice to come out. It should still work great for cobbler though.

My Mom froze rhubarb all the time when I was a kid. Here is some info I found on a website....

Preparing for Freezing:

. Wash stalks and remove all leaves. Trim and cut into 1-2 inch pieces or lengths you find suitable for freezing. Rhubarb can be frozen either raw or preheated. Heating rhubarb in boiling water for 1 minute and cooling promptly in cold water helps retain color and flavor.
Best Freezing Method(s):

Unsweetened (Plain) Pack

Pack cleaned and prepared rhubarb (either raw or preheated) tightly into suitable containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.
Syrup Pack

Pack prepared rhubarb (either raw or preheated) tightly into containers and cover with a medium syrup (3 cups sugar to 4 cups water). Leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.
Suitable Packaging:

Freezer containers should be moisture and vapor resistant and should not be prone to cracking or breaking at low temperatures. Containers should provide protection against absorbing flavors or odors and should be easy to label. Suitable packaging for freezing rhubarb includes freezer-grade plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass containers, heavy-duty aluminum foil and foil containers.
Maximum Storage Time:

10 to 12 months at 0ºF.
Thawing:

Because rhubarb is usually used for cooking, baking or making jams, the loss of texture during freezing is not important. Defrost rhubarb in the refrigerator or in the microwave according to manufacturer's specifications.
Tips & Shortcuts:

Rhubarb leaves contain a highly poisonous toxin called oxalic acid. Never cook with or eat the leaves and discard them safely away from children and pets.
Refrigerating Rhubarb:

Remove leaves from stalks and place in perforated plastic bags or wrap in plastic. Store 3 to 5 days.

Chop up the rhubarb and freeze...it's easy! I freeze in the amounts I'm most likely to need. So, my pie recipe calls for a quart, so I freeze in quarts. That just makes it easier when it's time to use it.

For jam, it depends on what your recipe calls for. If you're going to cook the rhubarb to make the jam, what difference would it make if it was frozen first? I've never done this, but it sounds worth a try! Good luck!

I don't know specifically for ruhbarb, but when I freezer save things like green beans I "blanch" them.

Check out this link and it will explain it and maybe you'll find out if you do it to rubarb too...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_basic/article/0,197...
or try this one too..

http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2006/03/blanching_foo...

Hi C.
Chop it in pieces, lay it on a cookie sheet apart and freeze he pieces, then throw them in a bag. This way they don't freeze in a big clump so you can use what you need for a recipe as you need it.
I freeze mine in 4 cup bags because most of my recipes use about that.
Enjoy
About me- 47yo med prof, wellness coach and mom of almost 7yo twin girls.
B. J

I freeze fresh rhubarb all of the time. It freezes quite nicely. It will get soft when you thaw it, but for jams and jellies that is okay, it does not need to be crisp. You do not need to boil it before you freeze it.

Freezing rhubarb can be done either way. My mom always did hers cooked but grandma always did hers just chopped and thown in. And frozen rhubarb works GREAT for jam/jelly later on. We used to do jams all through january with all the frozen fruit from the previous summer. You might want to take out at least some of the "strings" from the rhubarb when you go to cook it, thats just a little more fiber than jelly needs! lol

Hi, Yes you can freeze rhubarb. You can cut it up in chunks that you woulf normally use in cakes, pies or breads and freeze it in freezer bags. No need to parboil it. Just thaw and use when ready for it. About the jam, I am not sure, but I would use it for jam after freezing. Hope this helps. C.

Yes - just chop and freeze. I usually measure out the amounts too - and freeze in 2,3, or 4 cup amounts in labeled bags. Then you can just get out the amount you need.

Sorry I don't know about the jam - but you could probably try it! I used frozen strawberries (that I had picked myself) last year to make jam and I could tell no difference from making it with fresh!

C.,

I always freeze it just because I get so much. I just cut them into the size I want, freeze about 4 cups per bag and use as needed. I would recommend not freezing in a self defrosting freeze, of course. But I use mine to make anything rhubarb! LOVE IT!!

Freeze as much as you want it is really better for jams frozen as the flavor has time to cure together. Sprinkle a little white sugar over the stalks just before sealing to the freezer. YUM!

I have always washed my rhubarb, cut it into about 1 inch pieces and put about two cups into a quart size freezer bag. It's worked fine for sauces and cobbler. I have never tried making bread with it.

They say it's best if you chop it up in 4-5" sections and freeze, instead of chopping small and freezing. Not sure why...but I know that when have thawed out rhubarb, I always chop off the tips to make a fresh cut because the ends look sort of gross. If it were chopped up in small pieces, the entire inch piece would be gross, instead of just the ends. I use frozen rhubarb all the time for Jam, cobbler, crisp, bread, etc. It needs to get really soft and mushy anyway, and it does so naturally when you thaw it out. And...just a tip...it's easier to cut up when it's 1/2 frozen instead of completely thawed out.

I freeze most of my rhubarb to use later in pies and jam. It's soggy when thawed, but works just fine for baking. I don't add any sugar, just slice it thinly and put it in ziplock bags.

SAHM of seven

in my experience, you can freeze the rhubarb cut up into one inch pieces or smaller and store it to use it for just about anything. ive never done it yet myself, (my first year) but thats what it seems my grandma used to do... looking forward to the other responses.

We have always cut up and frozen our rhubarb to use later for jelly, bread and crisp. It works wonderfully. The best advice is to freeze it in amounts that you want to work with. If the jelly calls for 6 cups of rhbarb all you have to do is pull out the bag labeled "6 cups".

Rhubarb is probably the easiest thing to freeze. Just dice it up and put the amount you are going to need for the recipe you want into a ziploc bag and throw in the freezer. If you don't want to measure everything, then make sure the rhubarb is dry after washing and cutting before putting it into a bag and that way it does not freeze together and you can just take out the amount you need. Good luck. I have been doing this for years. And yes, you can make jam out of frozen rhubarb.

As an older person who has frozen many a things,because I just did not have time to work with it. Sometimes summer is just to busy. I like to wait until winter,when I have more time to make things. I usually chop it before i freeze it,it is to hard to chop it after it is frozen,the same goes with almost any vegetable or fruit you freeze.I do know that it should be raw when you freeze it. When you go to make any thing make sure you thaw and drain well. Keep some of the drained Juice for flavor. Hope this helps. Shirley

Totally just chop it and put it in freezer bags or containers and freeze it. Go ahead and use it for breads, cakes or jams.