Summer Rhubarb Recipes

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Did you know that rhubarb season has started? It’s a wonderful thing indeed! Time for sauces, cakes, loaves, muffins and so much more. This week’s challenge is summer recipes and I can’t think of anything more summery than rhubarb as it’s good all summer long! So let me share some summer rhubarb recipes with you.

Facts about Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a plant that everyone seems to know, but not always know what to do with. Is it a fruit or vegetable? Though it is technically a vegetable, it is legally a fruit. This was a ruling made in New York. Rhubarb is a fruit since we use it to make desserts and pies.

We only eat the stems, not the root or the leaves. In fact the triangular leaves contain high levels of a poisonous chemical called oxalic acid. You do need to pull it out by the root as that stimulates the plant to grow more leaves. Cutting off the stems only encourages rot and that will hurt your rhubarb plant in the long run.

They LOVE fertilizer. I cover mine with rabbit manure throughout the winter which gives them a great start in the spring. In July I’ll pull most of the stalks and then replace the manure pack which strengthens the rhubarb for continued production.

I remember as a child eating raw rhubarb, it was quite tart but I loved it! As I got a bit older I would sprinkle a bit of sugar on it. I still like to nibble on raw rhubarb but never a whole lot. Too much tartness no longer agrees with me! 🙂

This week I made a very moist loaf using rhubarb. This recipe is very similar to the one I used, I didn’t add nuts because we don’t care for them in our loaves. But a nice tasting loaf, definitely worth making again.

Rhubarb Cake is a favourite around here. Cinnamon sugar, rhubarb, moistness and a good cake taste.

Rhubarb Sauce is so very easy to make. Cut up rhubarb, add a touch of water, and let it cook until soft. Add sweetener if desired.

I was talking to a lady that I sold some rhubarb too and she mentioned that she adds apples to it when she cooks it. Doesn’t that sound good? Apple and rhubarb goes together so well.