Canned Rhubarb
| Rhubarb, | 2½ lbs. |
| Sugar |
If the rhubarb is pretty in color and young and tender, mother told Adelaide that she did not need to peel the stalks, but just wash and wipe them clean and cut them in small pieces with the little sharp knife. Then she weighed the fruit and allowed one-half pound of sugar to each pound of rhubarb. Both sugar and rhubarb were put in the saucepan and placed over the fire to come very slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning, and as soon as it had boiled fifteen minutes she poured it into the sterilized pint jar. The silver knife she inserted between the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. After the new rubber was dipped in boiling water and placed over the jar smoothly, Adelaide sealed it quickly, then stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she inspected the jar carefully to be sure that there were no leaks, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
Sometimes mother canned rhubarb without sugar, so Adelaide tried a jar. Mother said the flavor was much better and it was not so juicy, also it was excellent for pies, shortcakes, etc., adding the sugar when you used it.