There is an old Vermont saying along the lines of "Hope the rain don't hurt the rhubarb."
In fact, though, there is not a thing in the whole entire world that can hurt rhubarb. Floods? Drought? Toxic waste spills? Nuclear plant meltdown? Rhubarb will survive.
(Honestly, Stephen King, I hope you read my little blog because I am just full of ideas for horror story ideas lately. And they are free for the taking!)
Mike has his own food classification. It includes a category called 'nuisance vegetables' which are not to be eaten and preferrably not to to ever appear on the table. Rhubarb appears in that category--more than once, actually. So it is kind of too bad that we have rhubarb growing in the back. (It came with the house, and as I have mentioned, there is no way to get rid of it.)
Mike also likes to have it pointed out that not even the neighborhood woodchuck will touch the rhubarb. Make of that what you will.
I saw "Local Rhubarb" for sale at the local market. $3.99 a pound. I laughed out loud. People around here lock their car doors at night so the neighbors don't sneak a bag of rhubarb into the back seat.
Here's a recipe stolen from the Burlington Free Press:
Rhubarb Cake
(serves 8)
2 teaspoons orange zest
juice from half an orange
2 cups of sliced rhubarb
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8T) unsalted butter at room temp.
2 eggs
In fact, though, there is not a thing in the whole entire world that can hurt rhubarb. Floods? Drought? Toxic waste spills? Nuclear plant meltdown? Rhubarb will survive.
(Honestly, Stephen King, I hope you read my little blog because I am just full of ideas for horror story ideas lately. And they are free for the taking!)
Mike has his own food classification. It includes a category called 'nuisance vegetables' which are not to be eaten and preferrably not to to ever appear on the table. Rhubarb appears in that category--more than once, actually. So it is kind of too bad that we have rhubarb growing in the back. (It came with the house, and as I have mentioned, there is no way to get rid of it.)
Mike also likes to have it pointed out that not even the neighborhood woodchuck will touch the rhubarb. Make of that what you will.
I saw "Local Rhubarb" for sale at the local market. $3.99 a pound. I laughed out loud. People around here lock their car doors at night so the neighbors don't sneak a bag of rhubarb into the back seat.
Here's a recipe stolen from the Burlington Free Press:
Rhubarb Cake
(serves 8)
2 teaspoons orange zest
juice from half an orange
2 cups of sliced rhubarb
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8T) unsalted butter at room temp.
2 eggs
- Preheat oven to 350, grease 9" springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, toss rhubarb with 1 tsp.orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice, plus 1/2/cup of the white sugar.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder, salt and 1 tsp. orange zest.
- In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and remaining sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy/about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- With mixer on low, beat in dry ingredients just til blended.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and level the top.
- Scatter the rhubarb mixture and juices over the top, but avoid too close to the edge of the pan.
- Bake in center of preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes.
- Cool for 30 minutes, then remove from pan and wrap in plastic to let mellow for several hours.
- Refrigerate left overs.
That is funny. I have never tasted rhubarb and never have seen a rhubarb plant. Your picture is the closest I've been to rhubarb.
ReplyDeleteToo funny Olga! Tell Mike that I ate in a very fancy restaurant in Aspen last evening and chose strawberry - rhubarb pavlova for dessert. Delicious! (My husband hates it, too.)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mike, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I didn't even read the ingredients in the recipe. There are two things I absolutely will not eat, rhubarb and Mandarin oranges. And, as you know, I am willing to try most foods. Even cactus oh, add that to the list, now I'm up to three. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI am like Linda. Never tasted or seen rhubarb. Heard a lot about it on sites I visit.
ReplyDeleteYour too funny about the King thing.Honestly the last few books he has written he needs someones help.
Hope your well
Love
Maggie
Oh, you can make some amazing, tasty desserts with rhubarb. Your recipe sounds good. I posted a rhubarb cake recipe today too. It is so yummy with a big dollop of whipped cream that I am having trouble leaving it alone. I'm just going to hurry and eat it all up so it will stop tempting me.
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure to lock my car doors.
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait until I'm off my current eating plan and can enjoy the rhubarb currently thriving, as usual, in our yard.
ReplyDeleteHum, maybe I need to plant rhubarb. It seems to be Patti proof.
ReplyDeleteI love rhubarb pie, never heard of the cake. Will save this recipe. Thanks.
I am not a rhubarb fan either. Do you know there is a Rhubarb Festival every year in Lancaster, PA? Obviously there are a lot of fans somewhere...
ReplyDeleteRhubarb? My mother used to love it. She was nostalgic for the stuff -- from her days growing up during the Depression when apparently it was a favorite (and also cheap or even free).
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I'll stick with more conventional ... fruits? Is rhubarb a fruit?
Having been forced to eat rhubarb as a child I have one word -- YUK! My Dad loved the stuff. I offered to let him have all of mine, he wasn't amused!
ReplyDeleteI love rhubarb, but have been so busy I haven't had time to do anything. This volunteer stuff is awful. It's not for chumps!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Cottage Country!