One thing I always associate with Mother’s Day is rhubarb. My mom’s favorite pie was strawberry-rhubarb pie. My first experience with rhubarb was with my neighbor, Cathy, in Michigan. I was 7 and she was 10 so of course I thought Cathy was sagacious, the smartest girl, and I did everything she did. One late spring day she broke off a stalk of a red leafy plant, peeled the strings off and dunked it in a bowl of sugar she got from her mom. When she handed me some, I took it without hesitation. That first taste of raw rhubarb; the combo of very sour and gritty sweetness is one I will never forget. I was mesmerized by the ping pong of sweet and tart flavors. I have heard that some call it the “Devil’s Celery”. You either like it or hate it. I loved it.
Rhubarb is a spring vegetable, one of the few that is still truly seasonal. Rhubarb is a long, stalky perennial plant that looks a lot like red celery. The stalks can range in color from deep red to light pink, and even pale green. The pretty stalks come into season in late March to early April and stick around until the beginning of June. It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin K, and antioxidants, but its leaves are toxic and should not be eaten.
The ancient Chinese used it as a medicinal herb over 5,000 years ago. Native to southern Siberia, it got its name from the Russians who grew it along the Rha River (now the Volga). For centuries it was traded alongside tea as a cure for stomach aches and fevers.
The English were the first to eat rhubarb, beginning in the 17th century, but unfortunately chose to begin with the leaves that look like chard. The leaves, however, contain a toxic amount of oxalic acid and are poisonous. The ensuing cramps, nausea and sometimes death from ingestion suppressed interest in the plant for about two hundred years. But by the late 18th century Europeans had discovered that the tart stalks were the part to eat since sugar became easier to get. It was brought to the Americas before 1800 and folklore credits Benjamin Franklin, but others credit an unnamed gardener in Maine.
Rhubarb acts and tastes like a fruit, but it’s a vegetable. There’s a good reason for this confusion: In 1947, a case involving the tariff classification of fresh rhubarb from Canada, known as the “Great Rhubarb Controversy,” arose. The question was whether rhubarb should be classified as a fruit (subject to a 35% duty) or a vegetable (subject to a 50% duty). The USDA, in this case, sided with the importer, classifying rhubarb as a fruit, as the tariffs on fruits were lower than on vegetables. The USDA’s decision was since rhubarb is often used in desserts and sauces, like fruits, rather than as a vegetable side dish. The tariff classification of rhubarb as a fruit for tariff purposes has remained ever since that 1947 ruling, despite it being a vegetable.
Today, in the United States, Washington State is responsible for producing an impressive 92% of the rhubarb harvest.
Rhubarb is very tart, so it needs to be balanced out with something sweet like strawberries (and doused in sugar, of course). It’s great for jams, sauces, and baked goods like this easy crumble dessert. This strawberry rhubarb crumble can be made with either fresh or frozen, strawberries and rhubarb.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients For the Fruit Filling
- 2 cups strawberries, quartered
- 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) rhubarb, cleaned, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- Crumble Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For Serving
Ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with rack in the middle position. Coat a 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt, making sure everything gets mixed and coated. Pour into prepared baking dish. For the crumble topping, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Work in the butter with your hands, until large moist clumps form. Sprinkle over the strawberry- rhubarb mixture. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake until topping is browned, and fruit is bubbly and tender underneath, 45 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!
Note: Fresh verses Frozen Fruit. Fresh ingredients taste richer and wonderful in this dessert, but frozen works too. It’s not necessary to let the fruit thaw first before using, as long as it’s chopped, but you might need to increase the bake time by a few minutes. Tent the baking dish with foil if you notice the topping is over browning. If you do let the fruit thaw, however, drain any liquid before using.
