There are certain fruits and vegetables that showcase a year's seasonal shifts. While pomegranates are more readily available in the fall and tangerines abound in winter, berries, asparagus, and serve as signifiers of spring. If you're a fan of seasonal produce, securing bright red stalks of rhubarb at a grocery store near you is a telltale sign that summer is on its way.
Yet, if you're hoping to prolong the shelf-life of this celery-like vegetable, you need to store rhubarb efficiently. Rhubarb is a tart red vegetable available in supermarkets from March until June. Unlike celery, rhubarb stalks have a naturally sour taste and work well in both savory meals and fruit-based desserts.
Keeping rhubarb firm and crisp is essential for extended use. Luckily, you don't have to do much legwork to maintain rhubarb's freshness at a base level. To keep rhubarb crisp for up to 14 days, remove and discard the leaves and store the stalks, unwashed, in an open plastic bag in your refrigerator.
Sealed bags prevent rhubarb's low levels of ethylene from escaping which can cause this seasonal veggie to ripen faster. Do not store rhubarb near high-ethylene-producing fruits like apples, peaches, and kiwi fruit. Consider utilizing your crisper drawer to keep rhubarb protected.
Luckily, if you want to keep your rhubarb crisp and fresh-tasting past the two-week mark, there are a few creative storage methods worth trying. Long lasting ways to keep rhubarb fresh If you want to make more than one this.
