Intro
(photo by my husband, gabe)
She’s on the move. My little girl, at 7 months is crawling, chewing on cables, pulling herself up and putting every little crumb and Lego into her mouth. It’s a constant eyes-on-Ivy phase. Good thing she is so darn adorable.
Remember last year? There was rhubarb and there were my first visions of pink. The thought of a little girl living inside of me was enough to sustain me through a difficult pregnancy – most days.
She’s here now and of course I can’t imagine life without our little princess.
This year there is an active little girl and there is rhubarb once again. For both of these things I am thrilled.
It seems as if Spring is just starting to reach us and since it’s arrival I’ve managed to put nearly ten pounds of rhubarb to good use. It’s been added to champagne, roasted (on several occasions) poached, and steeped in water with a touch of lemon and honey – which brings us to today’s recipe.
I spotted this pale pink, refreshing tea on Martha’s site. I’ve done many things with rhubarb but never have I thought of turning it into tea.
My version replaces the sugar with honey and adds a touch of lemon peel giving me the idea that rhubarb lemonade would also be brilliant.
This recipe is for true rhubarb fans as it essentially tastes as if you are chewing on a lightly sweetened stalk of the tart vegetable. Now I realize that for many this isn’t a selling point but for me it is. It is light in color and flavor and perfectly refreshing. I take mine with a hint of lemon and very lightly sweetened. I appreciate the tart tang and revel in the bite of each sip. I imagine myself planting the tender, young starts in my little garden while sipping on this Cherry blossom hued beverage but it is far too cold for icy beverages to be enjoyed outside. Instead I sit indoors enjoying the tea while admiring the garden that was planted in the rain while wearing a heavy jacket, scarf and boots. Either way, I’m drinking this tea and I’m happy with that.
Rhubarb Tea
inspired by Martha Stewart (always)
makes 8 servings.
This recipe is so perfectly simple. Essentially for every large stalk of rhubarb there will be one cup of water.
If using 8 large stalks, cut each into 1 inch chunks. Add those to 8 cups water in a large sauce pan. Add a couple of strips of lemon peel. Bring all of that to a boil then decrease heat until you have reached a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes then turn off the heat and let cool for a couple of hours. Strain the tea and add honey to desired sweetness. Chill completely then serve with mint (or in my case Basil – a member of the mint family and totally acceptable in sweet applications) and more lemon peel.
She’s on the move. My little girl, at 7 months is crawling, chewing on cables, pulling herself up and putting every little crumb and Lego into her mouth. It’s a constant eyes-on-Ivy phase. Good thing she is so darn adorable.
Remember last year? There was rhubarb and there were my first visions of pink. The thought of a little girl living inside of me was enough to sustain me through a difficult pregnancy – most days.
She’s here now and of course I can’t imagine life without our little princess.
This year there is an active little girl and there is rhubarb once again. For both of these things I am thrilled.
It seems as if Spring is just starting to reach us and since it’s arrival I’ve managed to put nearly ten pounds of rhubarb to good use. It’s been added to champagne, roasted (on several occasions) poached, and steeped in water with a touch of lemon and honey – which brings us to today’s recipe.
I spotted this pale pink, refreshing tea on Martha’s site. I’ve done many things with rhubarb but never have I thought of turning it into tea.
My version replaces the sugar with honey and adds a touch of lemon peel giving me the idea that rhubarb lemonade would also be brilliant.
This recipe is for true rhubarb fans as it essentially tastes as if you are chewing on a lightly sweetened stalk of the tart vegetable. Now I realize that for many this isn’t a selling point but for me it is. It is light in color and flavor and perfectly refreshing. I take mine with a hint of lemon and very lightly sweetened. I appreciate the tart tang and revel in the bite of each sip. I imagine myself planting the tender, young starts in my little garden while sipping on this Cherry Blossom hued beverage but it is far too cold for icy beverages to be enjoyed outside. Instead I sit indoors enjoying the tea while admiring the garden that was planted in the rain while wearing a heavy jacket, scarf and boots. Either way, I’m drinking this tea and I’m happy with that.
Rhubarb Tea
inspired by Martha Stewart (always)
makes 8 servings.
This recipe is so perfectly simple. Essentially for every large stalk of rhubarb there will be one cup of water.
If using 8 large stalks, cut each into 1 inch chunks. Add those to 8 cups water in a large sauce pan. Add a couple of strips of lemon peel. Bring all of that to a boil then decrease heat until you have reached a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes then turn off the heat and let cool for a couple of hours. Strain the tea and add honey to desired sweetness. Chill completely then serve with mint (or in my case Basil – a member of the mint family and totally acceptable in sweet applications) and more lemon peel.
She, is positively gorgeous!
Your daughter is completely adorable!
And this tea looks so refreshing. I’ve never worked with rhubarb before (it seems scary) but I think I’ll have to have my first go with it some time soon to make this tea. Thanks for sharing!
She looks so cute, and gorgeous!
The iced tea looks gorgeous too 😉 Love the color!
She is so adorable! I think that is my clock going off in the background…. truth be told. It is great to hear someone else admires the tang of lightly sweetened rhubarb. I am going to make a batch, mine might just be topped with champagne…
oh my! Look at that angel of yours! What a cutie-pa-tootie!
heehee. I like inspired by Martha Stewart (always)
this looks fantastic!! going on my to-do list now!
This is such a wonderful idea. I have tons of rhubarb in my garden right now, and am trying this asap!
Your little girl is so beautiful! Look at those eyes!
Love this iced tea idea, looks so refreshing! I much prefer using rhubarb this way than in a crumble or something.
HAHAHA! What a beautiful girl! As my bro-in-law says… it’s like being on “suicide watch”… always on the move, always bumping into things, always getting into baby trouble.
I so missed rhubarb these past few months and I’m so excited to see its return in this refreshing form.
Your little girl is adorable! Loving the sound of the iced tea, too.
Oh my goodness, those cheeks!
Oh my goodness, Ashley. What a face she has!!! So adorable!
what a cutie she is!
i’ve seen so many people using rhubarb and it’s had me so intrigued! i’ve never tried it, but it looks so refreshing and delicious in an iced tea.
Oh my goodness Ashely, i just can’t stop staring at that first photo! She is just irresistible. The pink hue of the tea matches her demeanor (and headband) perfectly.
melting, I love her
Iced teas, rhubarb and babies have all been on my mind this week. Quite amazing that you’ve covered all three in one blog post!
loving rhubarb myself – so many divine things to make with it!
thanks for these new ideas!
xx
She is precious! Love rhubarb and always looking for new recipes ideas. This feels so Spring. Gorgeous.
You had me at the post title. Can’t wait to try this! And your little girl is postively precious!!
This may be a silly question but… what do you do with the rhubarb afterwards? Is it pretty much just compost at that point?
Lauren – Not a sill question at all. I’d say yes, pretty much good for compost. Although I didn’t taste it afterwards.
For Lauren: no need to compost it. I add some water to it, and some honey to sweeten, thicken with some cornstarch (the lemon peel is already in it) and make tarts with it. Fill pre-made unbaked tart shells about 2/3 full, top with a topping made with 2 eggs, 8 oz of cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar and bake for about 30 minutes. They are to die for! The topping will do about 2 dozen 3-inch tarts.
Pamela – You are a genius. That sounds amazing. Thanks so much for chiming in!
I love this! I’m absolutely enamored with rhubarb right now and excited for new and interesting uses for it.
I was reorganizing my Pinterest boards, creating one just for beverages, and found this recipe again. I am looking forward to buying local rhubarb and making this. Often.
With rhubarb coming in the garden and “life in pink” growing inside me, this bevcerage is perfect!