I’d acquired a dehydrator earlier in the year and this is the first time I’ve used it.
I picked some very thin stems and bought them in as well as a bigger fatter stem. I tried to get all pink stems. Washed and sliced thinly they were laid out on the trays and the machine was switched on. I left it for about 6 hours. The pieces were all dry apart from some much fatter pieces I’d left deliberately larger. These were very soft on the outside and juicy and reminded me of a caterpillar to be honest. They wouldn’t store long. Unlike the small pieces that were dried rock solid.
It is like eating flavoured bark. It does soften after a moment and exuded the intense taste of rhubarb.
I will try it early spring with forced rhubarb which will be more tender and sweet.

rhubarb sandwich – or bread and butter rhubarb!

Butter bread, mix eggs, sugar and milk. Soak bread.
Chop the rhubarb, add to dish, add sugar. Add soaked bread. pour on rest of custard mix and you make rhubarb sandwich!

If you’ve made all the jam you think you’ll need for the next few years and still have a freezer full of fruit then it’s time to think wine!

Winemaking equipment online have an amazing array of items at Amazon. There are several homebrew shops at Amazon – Balliihoo Homebrew – has a great selection of equipment and ingredients like yeast, camdem tablets etc.

For most recipes you’ll need: a bucket, some sterilising tablets, a demijohn or two, bungs with airlocks, yeast, and some tubing.
There are tons of recipes about. If you don’t want to buy glass demijohns then you can use those big water bottles.
You can often pick up homebrewing equipment at carboots. I bought mine at one and for £5 got a huge amount of equipment including 7 demijohns, 2 beer buckets, and a big bag of equipment. It’s well worth having a look on carboots.

I’ve got some raspberry wine on the go, some mint wine and will be making some blackcurrant wine next!

Once I have honey from my bees next year I will be making mead! Compleat Meadmaker: Home Production of Honey Wine from Your First Batch to Award-Winning Fruit and Herb Variations

Home brew books