The Mighty Rhu

Rhu Barbarum - Rhubarb

Rhubarb, a gift from the barbarians beyond the Vogue River (Rha River).  
Get it?... Rha Barbarum.  Initially, only the root was used and uses date back to 2700 BC where it was grown and used in China for medicinal purposes.  It is thought to have made its way to America in the late 1700’s.  

Today, a look around any old farmhouse or homestead will locate the perennial rhubarb plant that brought vitamin C and other vitamins, and a fresh new season of food to families each spring.

Rhubarb grows in stalks from underground rhizomes.  It multiplies readily and it is easy to share a portion of your plant with a friend.  That’s where I got mine and I have since shared forward to several others. What a great plant!

Many people think of rhubarb as only a spring plant, however, if you pick and use the rhubarb regularly throughout the growing season, it will continue to produce into the fall.  Be sure to quickly cut off any bloom stalk that appears too.  The stalks are the edible part.  The leaves contain oxalate, which is toxic even in small quantities and should not be consumed.  Nutritionally speaking, rhubarb is a great addition to the table.  Detailed nutritional data can be found at http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2056/2

Rhubarb is thought of as a fruit, but it is actually a vegetable.  It can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  So far I’ve only used it in sweet dishes but I plan to experiment in the coming season with a savory use for this healthy vegetable.  In this post, I’ll share several of my favorite rhubarb recipes:

Rhubarb Crisp

1 1/2 pounds of rhubarb make about 4 cups diced

A top favorite with my family, this is a simple and delicious rhubarb crisp.  Even people who say no thank you to rhubarb pie will ask for seconds.

4 cups of rhubarb stalks cut lengthwise and then into ½ inch pieces (about a pound and a half)

Sauce:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
 

Combine the crust ingredients

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, melted

Pour the sauce over the rhubarb

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2.  Cut the rhubarb
3.  Combine the sauce ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil - turn off and set aside.
4.  Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a fork until blended

5.  Place half the crust mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan or similar.
6.  Spread the rhubarb evenly over the crust.
7.  Pour the sauce over the rhubarb and finish with the rest of the crust mixture

Rhubarb Crisp!

 




Bake for 1 hour and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or at room temperature with some whipped cream.

Next up is a recipe that I’ve only recently adapted from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.
 
This is quite a bit more work, but produces a very tasty tart.

 

Rhubarb Custard Tart

Rhubarb Custard Tart
Ingredients:
Pie crust
1 ½ pounds of rhubarb diced (4 cups)
1 cup sugar - divided
1-2 tablespoons orange liqueur and or 1 ½ teaspoons of finely grated orange zest
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

The day before, or 5-6 hours before, prepare a flaky pie crust from your favorite recipe and chill.  Wash and dice about 1 ½ pounds of rhubarb into ½ inch pieces (4 cups).  Toss with ½ cup of sugar and refrigerate over night or for 4-5 hours.

Drain the sugary juice from the rhubarb

The next day, drain the rhubarb in a colander set over a skillet.  Allow it to drain while you prepare the crust.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out the crust and place in your pan.  Put the pan into the freezer for a few minutes until you are ready to put it into the oven.  Prick the bottom and weight it down with pie weights or dried beans on top of aluminum foil.  Bake the crust on the bottom rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes.  Remove the foil and weights and bake another 5-7 minutes until it is just golden.  Let it cool to room temperature.

Boil the juice to reduce to a very thick syrup

While the crust is cooling, boil the rhubarb juice in the skillet until it is thick and syrupy and reduced to just a few tablespoons.  Remove from the heat, stir in the rhubarb and the orange liqueur/orange zest and allow it all to cool to room temperature.

Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, remaining ½ cup of sugar, and pinch of salt.  

Distribute the rhubarb mixture evenly over the bottom of the tart shell and pour half the custard over and let it settle, then pour the rest of the custard.

Ready for the oven

Bake the tart until the custard is puffed and golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before serving.  Serve at room temperature with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream.

 








Now you must be ready for my final rhubarb discover!  

Last year I harvested over 72 pounds of rhubarb from my 4 plants.  What in the world was I going to do with all that rhubarb?  I mostly put it in my pot and made rhubarb juice.  I used the juice to make my granddaughter’s now favorite jelly.  It makes a delicious, delicate pink jelly.  I'm not planning to post that recipe here but if you need it, send me a message.

I wanted to make something else with my juice, so I made rhubarb tea and rhubarb lemonade.

Hummingbird Cocktails

Hummingbird tea (left) Hummingbird lemonade (right)

Rhubarb Juice - we also call this Hummingbird Juice (not to be given to hummingbirds)

Wash, trim, and chop up rhubarb stalks into 1 inch pieces. 
Put into a pot and just cover with water. 
Simmer the rhubarb until it breaks down into a mush.  This doesn’t take long, maybe 10-15 minutes.
 

Rhubarb ready to simmer

Allow it to cool to a working temperature or room temperature.
Strain the juice through a colander over a large bowl or clean pot.  Allow time for it to drain completely, do not press or force the rhubarb through the colander.
Strain the juice one more time through a fine mesh strainer.  (If you are going to use the juice to make jelly, I strain it through a cheese cloth draped over the strainer for crystal clear jelly.)

Strained rhubarb juice

Once you have your strained rhubarb juice, to make the “hummingbird juice” I add about 1/4 cup of sugar per full cup of juice.  I don’t bother with partial cups as this is plenty sweet.  Make sure the sugar dissolves completely.  You might need to warm the juice a little to get the sugar dissolved.  Then refrigerate the juice.

To make my Hummingbird Cocktails, I add crushed ice to a glass, add about 1/4-1/2 rhubarb juice and top that off with green tea or lemonade.  Give it a little stir and serve with or without a garnish.  

I’ve never been a vodka drinker, but someone left a partial bottle here sometime ago.
  This sis knot soooo badd wit ah tittle splosh a vodka tooo.

Enjoy!