Rhubarb Slush

The rhubarb season is upon us...and here's one more delicious and nutritious way to enjoy your veggies. That's right...rhubarb is a vegetable...not a fruit. It is a good source of calcium...with one cup of rhubarb juice having more calcium than one glass of milk. Of course...I would still recommend that you drink lots of milk (smile)...since we happen to have a dairy farm! But if you have more rhubarb at your disposal than you know what to do with...here is an excellent recipe for a rhubarb beverage. The recipe came from my extended family in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia...where they grow rhubarb next to their apple orchard.

• 6 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut in 1/2 in. pieces
• 7 cups water, divided
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate
• 10 cups club soda, sprite or ginger ale

 Method:

1. In a large saucepan, bring rhubarb and 4 cups water to boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-8 min. or until rhubarb is tender.
3. Mash rhubarb and strain.
4. Reserve juice and discard pulp.
5. Add sugar, concentrates and remaining water to rhubarb juice.
6. Pour into a freezer container; cover and freeze until firm.
7. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before before serving.
8. Place equal amounts of slush mixture and club soda in each serving glass, or punch bowl.
9. Serve immediately.

 *I doubled the recipe in order to use a full can of each of the concentrates.