Pucker up, people. It is rhubarb season!

It is finally coming up in a big way, and I'm just plain happy. Here are some of my recent rhubarb discoveries:

Breaking Ground: The Rhubarb Report - Mark shares a great rhubarb/strawberry crisp recipe

Rhubarb - Jennifer Wickes gives us the plant's background and tips us off to Pat Churchill's Rhubarb Sponge recipe

Rhubarbarita: The Splendid Table Recipe Box Lynne's guest (and gardening expert) Katherine Whiteside shared her punchy drink recipe

Funny how at the end of summer one can always find willing zucchini donors but locating a rhubarb gifter is hard work. Is rhubarb on the way "out" for planting and eating? How do you like your rhubarb?

______________________
Julia Schrenkler
American Public Media Interactive Producer

Comments: 11

Kat Eldred May 8, 2007, 11:51am EDT

Rhubarb is great! My mom makes the best ruhbarb-strawberry jam that we eat all year long. I think I need to try Lynne's rhubarbarita, that sounds fun.

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Mark J. May 8, 2007, 12:55pm EDT

I was scoping out a local mega gardening center on Sunday and I found Rhubarb plants for sale. I'm trying to come up with nouveau ways of bringing it back into style. A worth endeavor I think.

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Connie C. May 8, 2007, 5:00pm EDT

I love rhubarb. We have a huge amout of rhubarb. We sell it all summer long to our local grocery store. Seems the elderly purchase it most. I have a rhubarb cake that taste like homemade custard. I also make a wonderul rhubarb dumpling in the microwave. No rhubarb is not on its way out. In our area they make alot of rhubarb jelly also. Yummy

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David A. May 8, 2007, 10:34pm EDT

Julia, can you send some rhubarb down my way? It has already turned so hot in Florida... my tomato vines are having such a terrible time in the heat and lack of rain. I just picked a nice juicy heirloom tomato today... so much flavor and so juicy.. but suddenly the plant had just wilted over.. and not because of a lack of watering.. so I am soooo sad... perhaps a nice slice of rhubarb pie would perk me up!!!!

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Julia Schrenkler May 9, 2007, 9:13am EDT

Sorry Melinda. It is one of those food things, just like cilantro, isn't it?

Kat, what a wonderful thing to have from your mom! Is it pretty sweet? How many batches does she make?

If anyone can bring it back Mark, it is you. Think you could come up with some sort of rhubarb jelly that is more akin to gelled cranberries than a sweet jam? I've been kicking around the idea of trying a rhubarb gelatin, too. Not sure what I'd serve it with, but hey.

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Julia Schrenkler May 9, 2007, 9:16am EDT

Connie, your microwave dumpling intrigues me. How on earth do you make it?!

Ah, I'm sorry to hear of the heat David. That heat (in early May!) is enough to cancel out any zone envy we might have for you here. Send you some? I gotta get my mitts on some first! ;-)

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Mark J. May 10, 2007, 12:31pm EDT

Julia I could work on that. I have been invited to dinner to a friend's place on Saturday night. I am bringing a rhubarb sauce for the New Basics Cookbook. We're going to serve it over short cake. I think it would be possible to come up with a jelly more akin to the consistancy of jellied cranberries. Let me do some experimenting. Maybe a rhubard jello shooter? That could be fun!

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Julia Schrenkler May 14, 2007, 9:27am EDT

Mark, how did the dinner party go for you?

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Dorine H. May 14, 2007, 1:06pm EDT

I *hate* rhubarb, but It may be because it is always cooked to a paste with enough sugar to throw several horses into diabetic coma. I have no sweet tooth, and a tremendous salt tooth; have done since early childhood. If somebody coud come up with a savory use for rhubarb, I'd be willing to give it another try. I don't eat crisps, jams or sponges of the fruits I do like in fresh, unadulterated form, so am not about to try them with something I've never liked. But as I said, if somebody made it resemble a vegetable, I'd be open to trying it.

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Sandra B. May 17, 2007, 8:01am EDT

I just moved to Minnesota from Nebraska, where I always could get a rhubarb handout. It seems everyone had one or more growing in their back yards. I just planted one and am wondering if I have to wait until next year to harvest it.

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Pucker up, people. It is rhubarb season!

Comments: 11

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