When Memorial Weekend nears Strawberry Rhubarb pie just seems to naturally be my choice of desserts. It goes back to days on my grandparent’s farm located in Northeast Missouri. The farm is no longer there, just wide open farmland, but my memories run deep, and it does feel like it was only yesterday. I am starting to sound a bit old here. Actually I don’t remember my grandmother making this pie, she usually made straight rhubarb with no strawberries.
As memories go I was once up in Nebraska antiquing with some very dear friends. The lady who owned the store asked if we wouldn’t sit down and enjoy a piece of rhubarb pie with some coffee. It was the first time since the farm days that I ate / ‘tried’ rhubarb pie. It was white rhubarb and so delicious.
When your parents and/or grandparents grew up during the great depression sugar was added to recipes, but only enough to take the tart bite away. I remember all the adults loved the pie, but I thought it was horrible, based upon the fact that it didn’t have enough sugar for my taste buds. As with many things in life, I aged and now I cannot get enough rhubarb whatever! (I also use more sugar!)
Take a quick look at the history of the rhubarb plant also referred to as the ‘pie plant’. Rhubarb wasn’t really eaten a great deal until sugar was readily available in the United States. Chinese medicines have been using the roots of the rhubarb plan for thousands of years for its’ medicinal qualities.
Rhubarb is a vegetable and not a fruit. If you chose to grow your rhubarb in darkness it would tend to be tender and taste less sour. From a nutritional standpoint it’s a heart healthy food that’s high in fiber. It contains more antioxidants than Kale and it may help with inflammation and digestion.
In order to grow well the vegetable needs very cold winters. The largest area for rhubarb in the United States is north in Minnesota. You’ll also find an abundance of rhubarb cookbooks in this area.
Harvesting the rhubarb is done by ‘pulling’ the stems. However I never saw my mom or grandmother harvest in this fashion. They used a large butcher knife and went deeply into the ground cutting it at an angle. The soil is a bit sandy for good growth AND the leaves are poisonous. When I was a kid I could have sworn Adam and Eve covered themselves in rhubarb leaves or sycamore leaves. My husband just said: ‘What about elephant ears?’ We didn’t have them in Northeast Missouri back then!
This past week I made the memorial bouquet for my mother’s grave. Here’s a tip for those taking silk flowers to the cemetery. Spray the silk flowers with a clear varnish before placing them. The clear varnish will keep them from fading and you may be able to use the bouquet for more than 1-2 years.
Take time to reflect upon the lives lost protecting our freedoms and the many family and friends who have passed before us. Make sure the grandchildren know what this holiday is all about. Simply Yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
Salt, just a dash
2 tablespoons butter
Pastry for double crust pie
Prepare the bottom crust; mix everything together for the interior in a bowl, except the butter. Pour the ingredients into a 9 inch pie pan; thinly slice the butter over the top. Place the top crust on and flute the edges. I like to brush beaten egg whites on the top crust and garnish with sanding sugar before baking. Place foil around the crust edges to keep them from darkening too much. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for about 25 additional minutes or until the pie is bubbly and golden brown. You could lower the temperature when you remove the foil, to 350 degrees, it will take just a little longer to bake. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!
