Orange Rhubarb Spread

Who doesn't have a bunch of extra rhubarb laying around?  Ok, well I don't but I know people or I can go to the farmer's market and get some for cheap.  I'm not a fan of rhubarb cakes or anything that has chucks of rhubarb in it so when my sister came across this recipe in my freezer meal cookbook I had to try it.  I think it has great flavor.  The orange juice offsets some of the sweetness from the 4 cups of sugar in the spread.  Dont let the color turn you off... my rhubarb was more green than red so it looks like pea soup.  I added a little red food coloring to make the color a little more presentable.

Ingredients

4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

2 cups water

1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin

4 cups sugar

Directions

• In a large saucepan, bring rhubarb and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Drain and reserve cooking liquid. Cool rhubarb and liquid to room temperature.

• Place the rhubarb in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Transfer to a 4-cup measuring cup; add enough reserved cooking liquid to measure 2-1/3 cups. Return to the saucepan.

• Add orange juice concentrate and pectin; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; skim off foam.

• Pour into jars or freezer containers; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but not longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate or freeze. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks and freeze for up to 12 months.