For me, rhubarb will forever be linked with baseball.
Growing up in a small town in northwest Iowa, we had a backyard big enough to plot out a baseball field. It wasn’t regulation or anything. The backstop was my dad’s tool shed. Foul balls often flew off into the garden, where they may or may not be found. The distances between the bases varied by a few feet, and they were marked by whatever we could find. Sometimes, it was someone’s baseball glove. Sometimes, it was a piece of wood scavenged from the garage.
And sometimes it was a rhubarb leaf.
Rhubarb grew like a weed around my neighborhood. Every backyard seemed to have at least one patch. For the most part, I ignored it until it came time to play ball, that is.
My mom, however, often harvested that rhubarb, turning it into pies, jams, and sometimes even the occasional cake. Often known as a “pie plant,” rhubarb is actually quite versatile, making appearances in both sweet and savory dishes.
That versatility goes back thousands of years. Food historians date the consumption of rhubarb as far back as 5,000 years. It was used as a medicine back then, most commonly as a laxative. The medicinal qualities of rhubarb were also noted by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Europeans began using rhubarb to make desserts and even wine.
And thank goodness for that. Every year, when I ask Mike Wright what he wants for his birthday cake, he almost always selects something with rhubarb. Over the years, his birthday – which is May 13 – has been celebrated with rhubarb pies, crisps, and cakes.
As for me, I’ve grown to appreciate that rhubarb is more than just a substitute for first base. It’s also a baking ingredient whose sour taste pairs well with so many of the dishes I love.
Below, you’ll find some recipes that will be featured on our table over the next few weeks.
Rhubarb Swirl Bars
This recipe is from the folks at King Arthur Flour. The swirl bars are easy to make and pretty to look at. One note: if your rhubarb is more green than red in color, you can add a drop or two of red food coloring to get that beautiful crimson swirl.
Ingredients
For the rhubarb jam:
1 ½ cups (180 grams) diced rhubarb
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the bars:
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8×8-inch square pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
To make the jam:
In a small pan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, water, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rhubarb breaks down and the mixture is jammy. This can take between 5 and 15 minutes.
Remove the rhubarb jam from the heat and stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a small bowl (you should have about ¾ cup).
To make the bars:
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Pour melted butter directly over the brown sugar mixture. Stir to combine. As you stir, the mixture will become thicker and slightly lighten in color. Add the eggs and continue whisking until combined.
Mix in the flour and baking powder until no streaks of flour remain.
Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly to the edges. Dollop heaping scoops of the rhubarb jam over the top of the batter, and then use a toothpick or a butter knife to gently swirl the jam into the batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set. Cool bars completely before slicing and serving.
Oma’s Rhubarb Cake
This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com. It is a very simple cake that Mike Wright often requests for his birthday cake.
It is delicious when served with sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
3 cups diced rhubarb
For the streusel:
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Fold in the diced rhubarb. Spread into your prepared pan and smooth evenly.
Now, make the streusel. Stir together the sugar and butter in a medium bowl until smooth, Stir in the flour until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture on top of the cake and then dust lightly with the cinnamon.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Rhubarb Crisp Pie
This recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma book, “Pies and Tarts.” Unlike many rhubarb pies, this one does not add strawberries. Instead, it’s just rhubarb with a nice crunchy topping.
Ingredients
One (9-inch) pie crust (use your favorite or use a store-bought crust)
For the pie:
1 ½ pounds rhubarb
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons flour
¾ cup sugar
For the topping:
¼ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup uncooked oatmeal
½ teaspoon cardamom
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with your crust. Set aside.
Trim the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces (you should have about 5 cups). Place them in a saucepan with the water. In a small bowl stir together the flour and sugar and add to the rhubarb. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer partially covered for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Now it’s time to make the topping. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal, and cardamom in a mixing bowl. With your fingertips, blend together the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Spread the rhubarb filling in the prepared pie shell. Sprinkle with the topping. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is browned.
Michael Knock is a food columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: The delicious joy of harvesting rhubarb | Food column
Reporting by Michael Knock / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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