Rhubarb

 

Horticulturally  speaking, we are a Zone 4 in the upper Midwest. That is code speak for the fact that we have a limited number of plants that are able to survive and thrive in our unforgiving climate. Our neighbors to the south enjoy an abundance of flowers, fruits and vegetables that have little chance of making a go of it in our backyards. But, all is not lost. We have rhubarb. It is the one plant that scoffs at the warm, coddling climate of the lower latitudes.

I like rhubarb for many reasons. It is the vernal harbinger of spring. Its stalks can be seen pushing their way through ground that is still saturated with the melting remnants of the last snowfall. It gives us an early opportunity to eat something that doesn’t come from a bag or can. It tastes like spring.

Most of all, rhubarb reminds me of Midwestern folks. Our weather is not for the faint of heart. The summers are hot and windy. The fall is filled with wild temperature swings and relentless wind. The winters are brutally cold and prone to gusty storms and icy outbreaks. The spring is cold, rainy, warm, blustery, hot and highly unpredictable. Rhubarb is a plant with sturdy stalks and it is not easily cracked by the harshness of its environment. Midwesterners also tend to be sturdy. We put one foot in front of the other and do what has to be done, wind or no wind, hot or cold, trendy or old fashioned.

Rhubarb needs to be handled with care due to their toxic leaves. The stalks are where the nutrition and goodness are stored. Midwesterners also need to be handled appropriately. For the most part, we are easy to get along with and are eager to help out those around us. We do not, however, like to be pushed or prodded into becoming more sophisticated or trendy. We like who we are and we get a little toxic if we are expected to be something we are not.

Rhubarb plants are shared through the generations. It’s not unusual to find a plant with a history of descendants making pies and cakes for many years throughout the region. Midwesterners are equally proud of their ancestry and eager to raise new generations of hardy individuals. We have a stubbornness that doesn’t allow us to quit.

The leaves of the rhubarb plant are flamboyantly functional. They are efficient solar panels, collecting the sun’s energy for a photosynthetic conversion into food. If a Midwesterner is sporting any pretentiousness, you can be sure that there is a utilitarian reason. Large, down-filled coats are shields against piercing winds. Over sized sweatshirts keep the cold and bugs at bay. Sturdy boots slosh through the goo of seasonal precipitation.

Finally, rhubarb plants are best when served with a little sugar. Okay, a LOT of sugar. Midwesterners sometimes need a little sweetener to make them a bit more palatable.  After all, the cold darkness of winter and the unyielding winds of the latest weather front pushing through the prairie can take its toll on frivolous behavior.  We are not naturally giddy people. But, put a piece of freshly baked rhubarb pie in front of us and look out world.

Spring Rhubarb Pie

This is the recipe I use for the first rhubarb cutting of the season because it only uses 1 ½ c. of rhubarb.

Pie Crust:

Put the following ingredients into a pie plate

1 ½ c. flour

1 ½ tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

Mix 3 Tbs. milk in ½ c. vegetable oil. Pour over flour mixture and mix well. Pat crust into pie plate.

Filling:

1 egg (beaten)

1 Tbs. flour

1 c. sugar

1 ½ c. cubed rhubarb

2 Tbs. melted butter 

Mix together and pour into pie shell. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then bake for 25 minutes and 325 degrees. Delicious served with ice cream.