It’s rhubarb season in Idaho! And that means next year this time we’ll be cutting our first harvest from a new planting of rhubarb that grows near the front paws of the big beagle.
Rhubarb is rather like zucchini – people seem to either really like it or they stay far away from these foods. I happen to be fans of both. Spring just doesn’t seem right without having fresh rhubarb sauce. And summer could not exist without regular servings of sauteed baby zucchini for dinner.
Since Rhubarb Brown Sugar Muffins are a breakfast specialty I bake for our bed & breakfast guests, I raid neighbor’s rhubarb patches to gather in enough of the tangy fruit for a whole year’s supply. Nothing goes to waste as all those big floppy rhubarb leaves make great green additions to our compost pile. A quick wash of the stalks and then Dennis joins me in the kitchen as we chop & package the tart fruit for freezing. Another evening or two later I have pies baked and delivered to my rhubard neighbors as thank you gifts. It’s a spring ritual I would not wish to miss.
Basic Rhubarb Sauce
This is the sauce for rhubarb purists!
4 cups washed & chopped rhubarb
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
2/3 – 1 cup sugar
pinch salt
Place all in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat & simmer for about 10 minutes until rhubarb is soft, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold. Good plain, over ice cream, with cereal and milk, or drizzle over pork or chicken cutlets during final minutes of cooking.
Rhubarb/Strawberry Sauce
This is a more elegant version with a milder rhubarb flavor.
4 cups washed & chopped rhubarb
1 cup washed & chopped strawberries
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
1 to 2 cups sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 or 2 drops red food coloring.
Cook exactly the same as Basic Rhubarb Sauce recipe. Let cool and enjoy!
Life couldn’t be better if there’s some rhubarb in it!!
