Ode to Rhubarb

I needed help with captioning these photos from today, so Granny composed the following ditty. ;)

I went to the garden, and what did I see?

Rhubarb plants looking up at me.

I said to myself, what shall I do?

I’ll pick this rhubarb....

...and make a pie for me and you.

 

Recipe for Rhubarb Crisp can be found here.

Rhubarb is the very first crop I've harvested from our garden this season so far. What do you like to make with this unique fruity vegetable?

~Hannah

Comments

[ANA]

HOLA HANNA: ¿QUE ES EL RUIBARBO? AQUI EN BUENOS AIRES NO SE LO CONOCE, NI LO HE SENTIDO NOMBRAR, ALGUNA VEZ LEI EN EL BLOG DE LA FAMILIA STADDON QUE LO UTILIZAN TAMBIEN. ¿EN QUE SE PUEDE UTILIZAR? ¿SE CONOCE CON OTRO NOMBRE? BENDICIONES A LA FAMILIA GIROTTI.

[victoria]

Cute poem Granny. :) I'm surprised at how well your rhubarb did with all that snow!
The pie looks wonderful.

[Doris Epps]

Mrs.Solomon can say, "I am a poet and I didn't know it. Ha Ha!!!
I got a good laugh off her poem. Laughter is like medicine---good for you.
I have never eaten rhubarb that I can remember. Have heard they made delicious pies. If that is so, I am sure you all enjoyed the one you made.
Can you freeze it?
I enjoy all the sewing and cooking pictures.
Love you all.

[Aunt Rhonda]

Granny's the best! A brilliant "ditty'! Enjoy that delicious looking pie!

[Nix]

Nada que ver con el post pero siempre me sorprende como cambia el paisaje en tu casa al llegar la primavera. De un manto blanco cambia a colores en un periquete y eso que solo mostrastes una planta. ¡Saludos!
pd. Me parece que todos los años te comento lo mismo 😅😘

Nothing to do with the post but it always amazes me how the landscape changes in your house when spring arrives. From a white blanket changes colors in a jiffy and that you only showed a plant. Regards!
P.S. I think that every year I tell you the same thing

[Chris O'Dorisio]

:) Great job Granny!
Hugs to you!!, Chris

[Becka]

My husband loves anything rhubarb. I think my favorite is Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Love Granny's poem. :)

[Hannah]

Ana, thanks for the questions! Rhubarb is also known as "pie plant" because it is typically used in pies or cakes, commonly along with strawberries. It is a perennial plant, the leaves are poisonous, but the stalks can be cut and have a sour flavor.

Doris, Granny was tickled that she came up with that poem on the spot. We had a laugh, too. :) I'm surprised you have never had rhubarb. Yes, it freezes well; we have just chopped it and filled a ziplock freezer bag.

[Hannah]

We thought the recipe I linked to above was rather sweet (maybe our rhubarb wasn't as sour as expected), so to use up the leftover pie, I stirred it into muffin batter and the outcome was delicious!

[Dorothy]

Jay’s Mom & I used to make a rhubarb sauce as soon as the rhubarb would hit the produce section at the grocery store. We would make it to top ice cream but would end up sitting with spoons in hand & eat the entire saucepan of sauce as soon as it cooled, laughing & chatting away!

[Carol Blair]

What a fun and interesting post – and comments! I haven’t eaten rhubarb since I was little – I remember my grandmother serving it to us, and even though it was strange to us (5 siblings), we ate it because she taught us that “everything--all food--is a gift from God.” I am so grateful for that early training in that specific application of gratitude and contentment.
I decided to look up the word *rhubarb* to see what its etymology was, and because, having grown up a huge baseball fan (Orioles!) and knowing that the term is often used for heated arguments on the field, I wondered how that usage came to be. Here’s what I found:
Going back several etymological steps, the word *rhubarb* is derived from *rha barbarium,* a Middle Latin term indicating that the plant was consumed by “barbarians,” not “high class” people. Hmmm. There are two types of rhubarb. The type we know is from the genus Rheum, of the buckwheat family, having large leaves and edible stalks. The other type is grown in China and Tibet, and its roots are eaten as a tonic and/or purgative. The last definition in the dictionary is that of the heated argument – but no indication of how that usage came to be. I would love to know, if anyone can find out the answer to this conundrum. Any other baseball fans out there?

[Holly]

I cannot identify. It's snowing here. The facebook meme about it seeming like January 105th is becoming a reality. However we are praising God that our barn raising on Saturday was held during the two day window when the sun came out and temps were in the 70s. :)

[Hannah]

Dorothy and Becka,
those recipes sound amazing, thanks for sharing.
Carol,
Thanks for the comment...I love that memory of your grandmother and what she tried to instill. Your research on the background of the use of the term rhubarb in baseball was very interesting…I’m not aware of the origin but saw several speculations online after your comment made me curious.
Holly,
Hopefully it's feeling consistently more like spring there by now. :) Glad the barn raising happened at just the right time.