It’s rhubarb time
Rhubarb is so great. For a while there, I wanted to name a child Rhubarb. I have since reconsidered about the name, but it’s still a wonderful vegetable. It looks like celery, tastes like (extremely) sour apples, and has poison leaves. Magical, I say.
When I was a kid, my mom had a recipe that I believe we got from our next door neighbor, Ruby, for Rhubarb Bars. I called them Rhubarb Barbs and I loved them. I still love them, come to think of it.  My Grammy and I used to make them when she’d come stay with my brother and me while my parents were occupied with recital photo weekend,and once I got big enough, I made them myself.
I found this recipe online that looks very similar to my mom’s. I may have to make some of these soon, before the bountiful spring rhubarb goes bad.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 tsp soda
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup nuts
- 3 cups of rhubarb, cleaned and chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 T cornstarch
- 1-3oz. pkg cherry Jell-O
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Mix rhubarb, sugar,cornstarch and water. Cook in a medium saucepan over medium heat until very thick. Cool and add vanilla.
- Mix flour, oatmeal, butter, brown sugar, and baking soda together till crumbly. Add nuts.
- Pat 2/3 of the mixture into 9 x13 pan. Spread cooled rhubarb mixture over crust and sprinkle the dry gelatin evenly over the rhubarb. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.
- Bake at 375 F for 30-35 minutes until light tan color.
My parents had rhubarb in their yard, and I remember being really scared of it. So scared, in fact, that I refused to eat the rhubarb pies my mom baked. I worried that she wouldn’t be careful enough to make sure all the poisonous parts were gone. I like to think that I was a pretty smart kid, so I’m not sure why I was so irrational about rhubarb.
Rhubarb is a fruit. Much like RHu Paul.
“I do not impersonate females. How many women do you know who wear seven-inch heels, four-foot wigs, and skintight dresses?”
Why I know these things, I do not know.
Sorry, dude, it’s a vegetable.
Where’ve you been, anyway?
The Cafe in Ames currently has this Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp dessert that they serve with a scoop of the ice cream they make themselves on top . . . it is *incredibly* delicious. You should try it, should you happen to be in town. 😀
You’ve probably already seen my rave in Locals> about the ‘barb ice cream in N. Liberty. If you love rhubarb like I love rhubard, you’ll love this ice cream. North Liberty Cones.
Also, rhubarb lovers come in two flavors: Those who like a tart pie, and those who prefer a sweet pie. I’m in the tart camp; rhubarb pie should only ever be nice and tart, never overly sweet sweet.