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Spring Rhubarb is sprouting up in area gardens. This tart garden plant, produces long stalks that make wonderful pies and crisps, jams and chutneys. Though carefully tended rhubarb can continue to produce into the early summer, spring is the best of the crop.

Spring Rhubarb Pie, a recipe from my 1960 Ann Pillsbury Baking Book, is simple but tasty. The addition of nutmeg mellows the tartness of the rhubarb.

Spring Rhubarb Pie

Pastry for a 2-crust, 9-inch pie

4 cups rhubarb cut in 1/2-inch slices

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (optional)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Line pie dish with crust and set aside. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, egg and lemon.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and sugar. Stir into rhubarb mixture, blending thoroughly.

Turn mixture into pastry lined pie dish. Cut remaining crust into strips for a lattice top. Seal strips to the bottom crust with a dab of cold water. Flute edges.

Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 50 minutes more. Cover pie crust edges with foil strips to prevent overbrowning. Yield: 6 slices.

Note: if you prefer a 10-inch pie, increase rhubarb to 6 cups and add an extra tablespoon of flour and 1/4 cup sugar. You may need to increase baking time about 5 minutes. Additionally, you could substitute fresh strawberry slices for the extra two cups rhubarb.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam is easy to make and a good way to preserve some of spring and early summer bounty. This is a no-added-pectin or boiled-jam recipe from the 1983 Kerr Home Canning and Freezing Book.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

2 pounds fresh strawberries

2 pounds fresh rhubarb

6 cups granulated sugar

5 pint or 10 half-pint jars with lids and rings

Wash fruit. Cut rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces. In a non-reactive kettle, cover rhubarb pieces with half the sugar and let stand 2 hours.

Crush strawberries and combine with remaining sugar, then add to rhubarb mixture in the kettle. Place kettle over low heat and stir mixture until sugar is dissolved. Then boil rapidly, stirring very often, almost constantly, to prevent scorching. Cook until mixture thickens, the time will vary depending on the moisture content of the fruit.

Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch from the top. Wipe the jar rims with a damp paper towel to clean the sealing surface. Place lids and caps and screw finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Yield: about 5 pints or 10 half-pints.

Rhubarb Crisp is a classic spring dessert, with dozens of variations. My favorite is a recipe clipped from the Everett Herald around 1975. It features a rich crust, and unflavored gelatin is added to the thickening ingredients.

Rhubarb Crisp

Crust:

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

6 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter

2 eggs, beaten

4 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

8 cups rhubarb cut in 1/2-inch slices

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 packet unflavored gelatin

6 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Topping:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make crust, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture makes coarse crumbs. Combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until all is moistened. Gently press dough into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Set aside.

To make filling, combine sugar, gelatin and flour with the sliced rhubarb and mix well. Pour into crust-lined pan.

To make topping, combine sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Bake 1 hour. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Rhubarb Pinwheel Cobbler is another recipe clipped from the Everett Herald about 1971. There is a bit more preparation involved in this recipe, but well worth the effort. You can cheat in this recipe if you like and use prepared baking mix, but the from scratch version presented here is so much better.

Rhubarb Pinwheel

Cobbler

Dough:

2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup shortening

Milk (about 1/2 cup)

Filling:

2 Tbsp melted butter

3 cups chopped rhubarb

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Make crust by combining all the dry dough ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in enough of the milk to make a soft dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Brush with the 2 Tbsp melted butter.

Scatter chopped rhubarb over the buttered dough and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Roll up dough as for cinnamon rolls and cut into 12 slices.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place slices, cut side down in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan and set aside.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, butter and water and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute on high, stirring. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Carefully pour over cobbler slices in pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until rhubarb is tender and cobbler is golden brown. Yield: 12 servings. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

– What are your favorite rhubarb or other spring recipes? Please share them with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Don’t be fooled into setting out bedding plants before Mothers Day unless you plan to cover them each night. We do get frost in May.