Every time I see rhubarb, I think of my dad. My father, Antony Ellis, was an actor and a writer for CBS radio and television in the 1950's and 60's. He wrote for shows such as "Gunsmoke" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
One of the things I remember my dad telling me about filming was that when a scene included a crowd of people talking in the background, the directors would tell the actors and extras to say, "rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb," over and over. Get enough people together saying "rhubarb" at different speeds and inflections, and it sounds like people having conversations just out of hearing. Is it any wonder, then, that I love rhubarb?
Rhubarb is an amazing plant. It's a perennial in Wisconsin, and in good years, like this one, a single plant can grow waist high and three feet wide. Some varieties have only red stalks, but others have red, green, and pink stalks, all on the same plant. It's decorative as well as delicious, so it has a prominent place in the front garden where it provides a spot of color on the walkway to the front door. There are several varieties of rhubarb, and here in Southern Wisconsin, the Victoria variety seems to do the best according to my friends at K & W Greenery.
If you want to grow rhubarb, give the plants plenty of room and plant more than one of them. If you harvest a few stalks at a time from each plant, it will keep going for most of the summer. Leave enough leaves and stalks on the plants, and let them die back in fall; they will come up again in spring, bigger and fuller than ever. Eventually, you will be able to divide your plants and share them with friends - a much nicer gift than cut flowers, I think - and your friends will remember you fondly for it. Rhubarb lovers can find everything they need to know and more on the Rhubarb Compendium website at www.rhubarbinfo.com.
Rhubarb leaves are toxic, so keep them away from pets who have a penchant for chewing plants, or put a fence around the plants. My dogs aren't interested in them, but there will always be an exception - somehow Bear managed to find and sample some bittersweet berries last fall, and the results were not pleasant. The stalks of the rhubarb plant are perfectly safe to eat and are delicious in pies, crumbles, crisps, jams, and sauces. Mother Nature had a good idea when she allowed rhubarb and strawberries to ripen at the same time.
I'm not a big dessert eater, but rhubarb crisp is an exception. I love the combination of tart and sweet, and I prefer mine a bit on the tart side. I like it for breakfast as well as dessert.
Our rhubarb plants are still pretty young and have fewer stalks than fully mature plants, so we were able to make rhubarb crisp only once this summer, but my friend Mildred had lots and gave me a nice, big bag of it, so we were able to make some more. Here is a recipe for rhubarb crisp that Harvest whipped up on the fly the other night, with me taking notes as she cooked. I think it's one of the best versions of rhubarb crisp I've ever eaten - the sweet and tart explodes in the mouth.
For those who are calorie conscious, this recipe contains a good amount of butter and sugar - rhubarb is incredibly sour in its natural form - so consider yourself warned. Also, if your rhubarb stalks are somewhat older and fibrous, like old celery, you may want to peel the outside of the stalks to remove the fibers before cutting them into chunks.
Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb... Crisp
(makes 8 generous servings, great for a potluck)
5 - 6 cups rhubarb, tough ends and fibers removed, cut into 1" chunks
1 cup other fresh fruit such as strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or raspberries (optional)
1 dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup granola - your favorite or Mildred's Granola from this blog
10 Tbsp. butter (1 1/4 sticks) divided as follows: 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.), cut into small dice, and 3/4 stick (6 Tbsp), cut into small dice
Suggested Toppings (if desired):
Maple syrup
Half and half or cream
Whipped or clotted cream
Vanilla yogurt
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread rhubarb chunks evenly into in an ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan and top with the other fruit. Dust the fruit mixture with the flour and top with the 4 Tbsp. of diced butter and brown sugar.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the oats and granola together, then add the 6 Tbsp. butter. Knead the butter into the mixture with your hands until it is well coated and thoroughly blended, then spread the mixture over the top of the rhubarb and fruit mixture in the pan, forming an even layer.
Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes or until nicely browned and bubbly at the edges. Cool before serving, topped with any or all of the toppings suggested above, or eat it plain. Yum!
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