chef.sam.black on March 29, 2026: "A new version of one of my favourite techniques. This recipe makes two products, a chewy rhubarb that can be eaten raw or cooked into desserts, jams, and chutney, and a syrupy cordial perfect for cooking, finishing, or sipping in both hot and cold water. 400g rhubarb 600g raw honey 10g sea salt 1L jar 1. Wash and chop up the fresh rhubarb and add it to a clean jar. 2. Mix in the salt and top up with the honey until everything is covered. 3. Secure the lid and give the ferment a really good shake. 4. Store somewhere cool, ideally below 15C for 1-3 months, opening the jar daily to stir for the first month. 5. Once fermentation slows right down, filter out the solid rhubarb and bottle the syrup. It will keep for many months, especially if the pH is below 4.5 and it’s kept in a cool, dark place. It should be tangy and acidic. Use as: 1. A glaze for roasted root vegetables. 2. A sauce for desserts (especially ice cream). 3. Mixed with oil for a dressing for bitter greens. 4. A cordial diluted in hot or cold, sparkling or still water. *Disclaimer. Acetic acid bacteria, which are responsible for vinegar and kombucha, can convert alcohol into acetic acid in the presence of oxygen. The aim here is for this ferment to follow a similar path if regularly exposed to oxygen, but it can also become more alcoholic if kept too warm or left undisturbed for long periods. As with many wild ferments, the balance can vary, and some trace alcohol may remain. This isn’t an issue for me, but I wanted to be clear about how this recipe works. This recipe uses 1% salt as it relies on the high sugar content of honey and acidity of rhubarb to nudge things in the right direction. If you’d rather use 2% like standard lacto ferments then feel free. #fermentation #recipe #rhubarb #syrup #fermentedfoods".