Rhubarb tastes tart and sour and is a great treat when dipped in sugar.  This is something I did when I was young.  Now my taste buds can handle the punch the rhubarb sends to my tongue and I can eat it raw – minus the sugar.

Last week I bought two bunches of rhubarb from someone one the side of the road that used the honour system.  I left my money in a jar that was sitting on the table with the rest of the bunches.  I found out on the weekend that my neighbour has a ton of rhubarb.  My sister and I picked, cut, and bagged 21 and 1/2 cups last night.  I definitely had to do some baking.  Rhubarb sauce, rhubarb muffins, and rhubarb crisp.  Yum!

Why not try eating it raw or cooking with it?  Here are a few recipes to get you started.  Please note that for the sauce I don’t really have a recipe – it’s more a make to taste type of deal.  The rhubarb crisp recipe can be used with any fruit you want.

Rhubarb Sauce (Something a few of my Ontario friends have never heard of – it’s the same as apple sauce but you use rhubarb instead)

1. Take as much rhubarb as you would like (chopped) and put it in a pot.

2. Add some water – not too much because the rhubarb produces it’s own juice. For half a pot I use about 1/4 C of water.

3.Cook on medium heat.  The rhubarb will begin to get soft.  Add brown sugar and some white sugar.  I put more brown then white.  Sometimes I use Splenda brown and white sugar instead of regular.  This is where the tasting begins to get it as sweet was you want it.  Take a little on your spoon to taste and continue adding sugar until it is to your liking.  Everyone likes it differently.  It’s like how everyone makes their Kraft Dinner a little bit different then you do.

Rhubarb Crisp (which I’m trying my best not to eat at this very moment! So Good!) Remember, you can put any kind of fruit for this recipe.  I didn’t get a picture taken before someone got into it.  Yup that is just one person who went back for seconds!

I learned how to make all of these from my Mom.  I’m very happy to say she did a great job at teaching my how to bake!

Ingredients:

• 3 C sliced fruit
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 C rolled oats
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C flour (I use whole wheat flour)
• 1/4 C margarine

Instructions:

1. Lightly grease 8 or 9″ square baking dish
2. Spread fruit in baking dish
3. Mix 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp flour, and cinnamon together and sprinkle on fruit (sometimes I like to mix the fruit and these items together to coat the fruit)
4. In a bowl combine oats, brown sugar, and flour
5. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles course crumbs and sprinkle over fruit
6. Bake at 350 for 30 – 35 min or until fruit is bubbly and tender and the topping is brown

Rhubarb Muffins (These are great too.  Another great recipe from my Mom)

You can have a healthier version of these muffins by substituting a couple things. Use pumpkin instead of butter, Splenda brown sugar, fat free sour cream, whole wheat flour, and skip the butter for the topping.  Try substituting at least one thing in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C shortening/butter/margarine/oil (whichever one you have)
• 1 C sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 C of flour (I use whole wheat)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 C finely cut rhubarb (to be honest, it doesn’t have to be that small)
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter (not melted)

Instructions:

1. Blend together brown sugar, shortening, and sour cream
2. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to wet ingredients and mix
3. Add rhubarb and blend together
4. Line a muffin tin with cupcake paper liners and fill cups 3/4 full with batter (It is not a runny batter)
5. Make topping by mixing together 1/2 C white sugar, cinnamon, and butter.  Press about 1/2 tsp of topping onto the muffin before baking.  Another alternative is to sprinkle white sugar on top of muffin and then sprinkle the cinnamon and skip the butter.  That’s how I did it for the muffins in the picture.
6. Bake at 250 for 20 – 22 min.

If you would like more rhubarb recipes like jam, syrup, cocktails, fruit leather, and cake then visit Grow It Cook It Can It.

What is your favourite way to eat rhubarb? If you know how to can rhubarb sauce, please let me know!