by Patricia Bunch

Created on: January 29, 2009

Rhubarb was called pie plant by the older generation. It has a very tart taste, this element is what draws many to its unique flavor. It can be cooked alone or paired with strawberries to make delicious desserts. More daring cooks have used it in salads and salsas, but pies and desserts are its specialities.

Although rhubarb isn't used as a landscaping plant, it is very attractive with it's dark red and green giant leaves and variegated colored stems. The stems are the edible part of the plant, not the leaves. The leaves contain an acid not suitable for human consumption so discard the leaves. The stems are washed and cut and cooked in a small amount of liquid until it starts releasing its own juice.

One can begin to harvest rhubarb in the spring when the stems are extended and the leaves well opened. Pull the stems off the parent plant being careful not to pull up the whole plant. If one harvested too much plant for the recipe, it can be frozen for later use without any special preparation. Cut into pieces approximately one inch in length, put into an air tight container and drop into the freezer. Rhubarb keeps for several months when frozen.

Strawberries and rhubarb mix wonderfully in cobbler and pies. A tasty recipe for a quickie strawberry and rhubarb dessert is to take and equal amount of each of the two items and cook together until the rhubarb comes apart and makes a natural puree. Rhubarb is a stringy, fibrous plant which has to be cooked in a little liquid to break it down. Add enough sugar to taste. One has to taste to know when enough sugar has been added, so start out slowly if this is the first attempt at cooking rhubarb.

When the strawberries and rhubarb are cooked into a hot liquid, sat aside and assemble the rest of the dessert. In a baking dish melt a generous amount butter or margarine. Mix together equal parts of flour, sugar, and milk. Add a little vanilla flavoring. One must adjust the amounts of each of the ingredients depending on the size of the dessert being made. If one has about three cups of fruit fillings, it will take about three fourths cups each of the ingredients of the flour, sugar, and milk. Pour the flour mixture over the melted butter and pour the hot fruit mixture in the mix last.

Place this dish in a 375 degree preheated oven and bake until the crust rises to the top and browns. Serve hot with whipped topping or ice cream.

Rhubarb can also be used to make jam. Start cooking the rhubarb down by adding a small amount of apple juice. Follow any of the other recipes for jam when using rhubarb.

When planting your supply of rhubarb three or four plants make lots of stems since it continues to grown until frost and comes back up on its own the next spring. It is a hearty plant, beautiful and easy to grow. If your taste is for tart and sweet, this may be the plant you would want to add to your garden this spring. If you don't like the taste you might like the look.

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