Grab a medium saucepan and toss in your chopped rhubarb and the juice (orange or apple). Place it over medium heat. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is really soft and has broken down, kind of like making applesauce. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes.

Carefully transfer the cooked rhubarb and juice mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender right in the pot (if it's safe for blending). Blend until you have a super smooth purée. We want this to be as smooth as possible for clear-ish gummies!

This step is key for really smooth gummies. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the rhubarb purée into it. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to press the purée through the sieve, leaving behind any fibrous bits. You should end up with a lovely, smooth rhubarb liquid. Discard the solids left in the sieve.

While the rhubarb is cooking or cooling slightly, grab a small bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of cold water into the bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the top. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Don't touch it! It will absorb the water and get all puffy and jelly-like. This is called "blooming" and is important for the gelatin to dissolve properly later.

Pour your strained rhubarb liquid back into the cleaned saucepan. Heat it gently over low heat – we don't want it boiling, just warm enough to melt the gelatin, maybe around 140°F (60°C). Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm rhubarb purée. Whisk constantly until the gelatin is completely dissolved and you don't see any grainy bits. This should only take a minute or two.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the honey (or maple syrup) until it's fully combined. If you're using food coloring, add a drop or two now and stir until you get the color you like.

Carefully pour the warm liquid mixture into your gummy molds. If you're using ring molds, great! If you don't have specific gummy molds, you can use a small glass baking dish (like an 8x8 inch). For rings without molds, you could potentially pour into a thin layer in a pan and use a small circle cutter, then a smaller cutter in the middle once semi-set, but molds are easiest for shapes!

Pop the filled molds (or baking dish) into the refrigerator. Let them chill for at least 2-3 hours, or until they are completely firm and set.

Once set, carefully pop the gummies out of the molds. If you poured into a pan, cut them into squares or use a small cookie cutter to make shapes. If you like a coated gummy, place the granulated sugar or sweetener in a shallow dish and gently toss the gummies in it until lightly coated.

Your homemade rhubarb gummies are ready! Pop them, chew them, and enjoy that sweet-tart goodness!