Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Never include leaves or pack before juice appears and the mixture boils; do not use larger jars.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the NCHFP source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Use young tender stalks only, discard all leaves, combine with the tested sugar amount, wait for juice, and heat to boiling.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, nonreactive saucepan or stockpot, preparation tools, jar lifter, and pints or quarts.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Never include leaves or pack before juice appears and the mixture boils; do not use larger jars.
About this recipe
Rhubarb, Stewed is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Rhubarb, Stewed — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 10 1/2 lb young tender rhubarb stalks average for a 7-quart canner load
- 1/2 cup sugar for each quart of prepared rhubarb
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Trim off and discard leaves. Wash stalks and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar for each quart of prepared rhubarb and let stand until juice appears. Heat gently to boiling.
- Fill hot jars without delay, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Process hot-packed pints or quarts in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve as appropriate for the preserved fruit, or use in breakfast dishes, desserts, sauces, and baking after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Never include leaves or pack before juice appears and the mixture boils; do not use larger jars.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
This is a sweetened stewed-fruit pack, not plain raw-packed rhubarb.
Troubleshooting
Allow juice to form before heating and filling.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Rhubarb, Stewed.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Spring, Summer
Months: May, June
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
8–16 lb of Rhubarb per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.