I absolutely love using fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden in the summer! Planting, growing, and harvesting rhubarb is so easy and pairing it with sweet strawberries and blueberries helps to subdue the tartness of the rhubarb. By cooking down the rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries together with sugar, cloves, cinnamon and other spices, it will create a deliciously smooth and thick sauce that can be used on waffles, french toast, ice cream or yogurt. If you don’t live in an area that allows you to grow rhubarb, you can always find this vegetable (yes, vegetable), at your local grocery store or market. If you are fortunate enough to have a garden and do decide to plant and grow rhubarb, it will come up every year because rhubarb is a perennial plant.

Making the sauce is easy but it will take a little bit of time. If you are starting with a package of fresh rhubarb from the grocery store or market, cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces, measure out 2 cups and place directly into a pot. If, however, you are starting with rhubarb from the garden, you’ll want to cut the stalks about 1 inch from the soil. Next, remove the large leaf from the top of the stalk and discard away. Remember to wash the stalks so that they are free of dirt, dry, and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. You can freeze any leftover rhubarb up to 1 year or make another batch of this delicious sauce.

Strawberry, Rhubarb, and Blueberry Sauce

• 16 oz (2 cups) frozen strawberries (previously fresh)
• 16 oz (2 cups) frozen rhubarb (previously fresh)
• 16 oz (2 cups) frozen blueberries (previously fresh)
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Method of Preparation

Remove the frozen fruits from the freezer and weigh out 16 ounces each of the strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries. It is important that you use a scale to weigh the fruit rather than a measuring cup because it will ensure accuracy. Place the weighed fruit (48 oz total) in a large pot and add in the 1/2 cup of water, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and the 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes or long enough to break down all the fruit. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.

Now, you have some options.

1. You can completely let the mixture cool as is (with chunks of fruit), spoon it into jars and keep in the refrigerator to use right away or place into the freezer for future use.
2. You can use an immersion blender (once the mixture has cooled for 2o minutes) to create a smooth and thick sauce. Then spoon into jars and keep in the refrigerator to use right away or place into the freezer for future use.
3. You can use a blender (please check your blender to see if it can handle hot liquids- some models do and some do not). If your model is equipped to handle hot liquids, place the mixture into the blender and blend until smooth. If not, wait until the mixture has completely cooled and then blend until smooth. Spoon into jars and keep in the refrigerator to use right away or place into the freezer for future use. 

If you place the sauce in the refrigerator, please consume within 7-10 days. If placed into the freezer, it will keep for up to 3-6 months.

This sauce is great paired with ice cream, yogurt, or french toast. You can also spoon this sauce over pork or beef short ribs ribs. Or, maybe you’ll find another creative way to use this delicious sauce.

As always, enjoy!