Rhubarb always reminds me of my great Grandma Mabel. When I turned 16, I would run her on her weekly errands. We would go to Ogles grocery store, which she still called the Piggly Wiggly, and in the summer we would drive out in the country to pick rhubarb. “Twist and pull,” she would say. We would load the trunk of my Ford Escort with rhubarb, and she would make pies and jelly for our family.
I always thought it was nice of her friends to let her take their rhubarb. Over the years I have noticed that rhubarb is a sharing plant. Ours came from my fiance’s grandparents garden. We harvested our first crop last week, and I made my first crisp. It was actually closer to a rhubarb mush, but it still tasted great! (don’t skimp on the butter) Another learning experience… I am excited for more to grow to try a new recipe in honor of Grandma Mabel’s 102nd birthday this month!!! (can you imagine?) I am looking for suggestions, so please share your favorites here on our blog!
Rhubarb Bars:
2 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups hulled and halved strawberries
1/2 cup finely ground sucanat
1 tsp kosher salt
2 TBS cornstarch
9 TBS butter at room temperature, divided
130 grams(1 cup) fresh ground soft white wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup sucanat
Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and use 1 TBS butter to grease a 9×13 baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, kosher salt and cornstarch. Pour into the greased baking dish. In another bowl, cut the remaining butter into the flour oats and brown sugar. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and bake about 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Let it cool on your window sill (as shown).
Enjoy and share!…because as Grandma Mabel taught me, rhubarb is a sharing vegetable.
