PREP TIME: 20 MIN COOK TIME: 25 - 30 MIN MAKES: 1.5 TO 2 PINTS
Ingredients
Instructions
2½ cups finely cut rhubarb
½ cup water
2½ cups strawberries
¼ cup sugar
A couple drops of red food coloring (if needed)
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Mix all ingredients well in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
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Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until soft with the lid off so it thickens.
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Check the color. If the sauce needs a bit more redness, add the drops of red food coloring to make the compote more red.
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Can freeze right away in small jars for enjoying all year round.
For the love of rhubarb...
My grandmother began growing rhubarb during her years in South Dakota, a plant that thrived in the fertile soil and was often gifted by local farmers. Each summer, her rhubarb harvest grew larger, and with her talent for canning - honed during her upbringing on a farm in Colorado - she embraced the abundance, creating new recipes to make the most of it. Throughout the summer, she would cut stalks from the same plant three to four times, always leaving the three tallest and largest leaves intact to shield the roots from the scorching sun. At one point, my mother recalls seeing as many as 20 rhubarb plants flourishing in their backyard.
Rhubarb recipes, however, run deep on both sides of my family. On my German side, rhubarb takes center stage in luscious yeast cakes, prized for its tartness, which perfectly balances the sweetness of creamy desserts. Whether we were visiting family in Europe or the United States, summer always brought the comforting presence of rhubarb - whether in a cake, compote, or refreshing juice - served at a table in the sunshine outside.
Woven into traditions on both sides of my family, rhubarb has become a symbol of resilience. It thrives in the harsh conditions of Colorado and endures the dry summer heat, yet it continues to produce a bountiful harvest year after year.
This section is all about preserving Colorado summer fruits - apples, peaches, strawberries and, of course, rhubarb.
