Rhubarb Juice Concentrate With Canning Instructions

Rhubarb juice is the perfect addition to a summer mocktail or refresher. This recipe was created for hot summer days spent at the pool or mowing the grass. Grab your favorite tall glass, and add some ice and rhubarb juice concentrate for a drink that will make your taste buds tingle! This is a simple recipe and one of our summer favorites.

Although the rhubarb plant is a vegetable, it’s often used as a fruit in various baked goods, from pies to bars and even jams. Early summer is the best time to harvest it before the weather gets too hot. You can freeze it for future use if you have too much rhubarb (which is a good thing!). This is a great way to enjoy delicious rhubarb treats once it’s no longer in season. To save on freezer space, another way to use up a huge amount of rhubarb is to can a few batches of rhubarb juice concentrate.

For the printable version of this recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

• 16 cups of rhubarb, chopped  (approximately 5 pounds of rhubarb)
• 16 cups water
• 2 – 46-ounce cans of pineapple juice
• 2 cans of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed in the refrigerator
• 1 1/4 cups Real Lemon
• 6 ounces raspberry jello
• 6 ounces strawberry jello 
• 5 cups white sugar 

Instructions: 

Gather all the supplies you’ll need for this project:

• Water bath canner
• Jar lifter
• Funnel
• 11 quart jars
• Screw bands and lids 

Make the rhubarb juice:

Trim the leaves off of the rhubarb stalks and discard them. 

Wash the rhubarb stalks well under running water, removing dirt, leaves, and grass. 

Chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces and place them into a clean, large, stainless steel saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the rhubarb until it’s very soft. 

Strain the juice into a deep bowl through a few layers of cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to remove the rhubarb pieces, then discard them. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Do this while the rhubarb juice is still hot so the sugar and jello will dissolve.

How to can rhubarb juice concentrate:

Pour the rhubarb juice concentrate into jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. 

If you prefer smaller jars, use pint jars and reduce the processing time to 10 minutes. 

Wipe the rims of the jars with soapy water and a towel or dish rag to remove any residual juice. This will ensure a good seal. 

Place the lids and screw bands onto the jars. Only tighten the screw band to finger tight so the lids don’t buckle during the canning process. 

Put the jars of rhubarb juice concentrate into the canner and add water at the same temperature as the jars. The water level should be high enough to cover the top of the jars. 

Cover the canner with a lid and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and process the jars for 15 minutes. Try to maintain a gentle rolling boil. 

Once the jars have been processed, turn off the heat and remove them from the boiling water canner with a jar lifter. Set the hot jars onto a kitchen towel and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours. 

If there are any unsealed jars, store them in the fridge and use within a week. 

Store the sealed jars of rhubarb juice in a dark place at room temperature. 

How to serve rhubarb juice:

There are many ways to enjoy rhubarb juice, but my favorite is to add seven-up and lots of ice.

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to soda, add some sparkling water and ice. 

To make this an extra special treat, serve it in a punch bowl with seven-up and ice cream or sherbet. 

Substitutions:

I like to use Real Lemon Juice because it’s more convenient; however, it can be substituted 1-1 with lemon juice.

Use whatever kind of jello you prefer, or combine several different flavors.