Featured Fruit: Rhubarb

Rhubarb Rheum rhabarbarum

Rhubarb is an easy to grow perennial if planted in well drained soil.  The stalk is the edible portion (the large leaves are poisonous) and comes in varying shades of green to red.  Longer stalks can by obtained by blanching young plants in the spring using a cardboard box with the bottom removed to force the plants to grow taller.  Do not harvest rhubarb the first year after planting the crowns, and harvest lightly the second year.  Remove flower stalks as they appear so the plant does not expend this energy.

 

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

This recipe was recommended by Mrs. Jackson during our tour of Jackson Gardens in Soldotna.

Make one box of white or yellow cake mix according to the package instructions.  Pour into a large, rectangular pan.  Mix together 4 cups rhubarb, 2 cups white sugar, and 2 cups whipping cream or condensed milk and gently pour it on top of the batter.  Bake about 40 minutes.  The desert will be very moist and pudding like.