When I was a child I fondly remember this tart vegetable disguising itself as a dessert. I remember being shown it growing in a neighbour's garden and being encouraged to eat a bit raw. There's something so distinctive about how your face scrunches up with acidic foods - not just rhubarb but also its sour mates lemons, grapefruit, gooseberries and blackberries.
There's a reason we pucker up, and it's down to this sour acridness, often indicating that it is high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Which, as an adult, is a thing to celebrate, and rhubarb something we should eat more of.
Many New Zealand gardens feature rhubarb, and jams are the perfect way to use up a lot of this glut at once. However, to combat the concern of high sugar content, I've created a low-sugar rhubarb compote by adding a bit of sweetness from an orange and gentle spices - a perfect match.
Compotes are generally a very low-sugared preserve, however the lower quantities of sugar (which acts as a preservative) mean they cannot be stored like a jar of jam. So be sure you keep this in the fridge - it will be eaten in no time, on your morning granola or Weetbix, or atop yoghurt or ice cream as an evening treat.
