400 Jars of Jam and Salsa...

History of the Rosy Rhubarb Festival
Nineteen years ago a small group of people gathered together with the idea to promote our small community of Shedden and also to raise some money for a new community complex.
The old country club had served Shedden and the surrounding area well for nearly 50 years, but the incentive was to have a new, larger structure with a modern kitchen. Rosy Rhubarb was created mainly as a fundraiser for the new building.
Gary Carr, one of the initiators of the fundraising idea, always masqueraded as Rosy Rhubarb. Since his death in December 1996, the organizing committee decided no one else could do the job the way Gary did and retired his costume. But the spirit of Rosy Rhubarb lives on.
The Southwold Keystone Complex is now up and running as a result of many groups along with Rosy Rhubarb working together to make this dream a reality.
Every year, on the second weekend in June, we celebrate the plant that put our village on the map. Gardens are lush with ripe rhubarb waiting to be turned into tasty treats for families, friends and visitors.
Only the best pies, tarts and cakes make it into our annual rhubarb bake-off. The winning entries are auctioned on the Friday night of the festival, kicking off a weekend of fun, community spirit and fundraising.
Come browse the yard sales, participate in the rhubarb pie auction, indulge in local baked goods and our famous Ice Cream With Rhubarb Sauce.

We need a lot of Rhubarb!

Take a look at the pictures...we picked a truck load of rhubarb yesterday at our neighbour's house. With the help of Michele, Brian, Doug and Kathryn, we had it chopped and bagged in no time. One truck load equals 40 bags of rhubarb, which is enough for about 10 batches of salsa.

It is a lot of work, but the effort is so worthwhile when we take that first taste of delicious rhubarb salsa. This weekend the kitchen will be filled with bottles, and spices and jars. Orders are being accepted now!

Rhubarb upside down cake

This is a simply delicious dessert! The addition of strawberries in the batter makes for a lovely spring treat.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The recipe is simple, and makes a very quick and easy addition to your dinner table. The rhubarb is ready! The recipe, with pictures, can be found HERE. This is a great website to bookmark, tons of recipes and fun inspiration.

We are making our salsa and jam this weekend, so get your orders in!

Rhubarb loves this cold wet weather...

You know spring is here when the rhubarb is ready...and ours is better than ever! I found a new recipe for rhubarb coffee cake and whipped this one up in a jiffy. You can find the recipe HERE.

Michele and I are getting ready start making our famous Rhubarb Salsa. We are taking orders now...same price as last year $6.00 per bottle...

Let me know if you make this, or if you have any other recipes you would like to share.

It was a wonderful day....

Well another year has come and gone...and another year of lovely weather, meeting old friends...and getting rid of all our pies, jam and salsa....

We will be back in the fall with more yummy treats. Our summer is jam packed with trips to the beach and our dear niece is getting married..so the parties have started!

Drop me a line if you would like to be on our mailing list for upcoming events or to order salsa in the fall...

Till then...enjoy the summer!

Before and After

Here is what the first 5 batches of uncooked salsa turn into...another 5 batches, and a total of 252 jars of hot and spicy Rhubarb Salsa.

We had a very productive day yesterday...252 jars of salsa, 50 jars of Rhubarb strawberry jam, and 12 jars of Rhubarb/strawberry jam made with Splenda!

We start with very large pots..fill them to the brim with Rhubarb, onions, peppers, and celery, then cook for about 2 hours. We then add our secret ingredients to turn a pot of veggies into a delectable seasonal treat!!!

Thanks for stopping by...and enjoy the sunshine.

Jammin

We get numerous requests for our recipes for our jam. Happy to let you know we simply follow the directions on the certo box. Certo is a liquid pectin that helps set your jam. As we have learned over the years, measure, measure and measure. It is important that you follow the exact amounts of fruit and sugar to ensure your jam sets after cooking.

For rhubarb jam, you need to stew some rhubarb in a separate pot....then use the cooked rhubarb in the recipes.

Make sure your jars are HOT, and only use new lids....buy a box of certo liquid, follow the directions...you can't go wrong!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (our best seller)

4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries and 1 lb. fully ripe rhubarb)

1/2 cup water

6-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1/2 tsp. butter or margarine

1 pouch CERTO Fruit Pectin

STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure 2-1/4 cups prepared strawberries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot; set aside. Finely chop unpeeled rhubarb. Place in 2-qt. saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 min. or until rhubarb is soft. Measure exactly 1-3/4 cups prepared rhubarb into saucepot with strawberries; mix well.

STIR sugar into fruit mixture in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water, if necessary. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)