Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	April 6, 2002 - Issue 58
	Spring-time is Rhubarb Time

When you spy rhubarb in the market, it's a sign that spring is around the corner. The tartness of rhubarb is tempered by the first strawberries of the season in pies or cobblers or fruit crisps. While it's known as the pie plant because of its dessert role, rhubarb also has a place in the theater world. If a scene calls for background crowd noise, actors on stage will often murmur "rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb" because it sounds like talking. When it's not on stage, rhubarb can be the fat-free star of a savory sauce, its tart flavor meshes nicely with both meat and poultry. Though it's eaten as a fruit, rhubarb is really a vegetable. Its long, thick stalks look similar to celery, but they're red. Don't eat the leaves, they're poisonous. Pick firm, bright red stalks that are fairly thick. Rhubarb is an excellent source of calcium , fiber and vitamin C. It also supplies plenty of vitamin A.
Rhubarb Sauce
	Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sliced, 1/4" thick rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup water
Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the rhubarb is completely soft and falling apart. 2. Serve warm with pork, duck, turkey or Cornish hens.
Rhubarb Bread
Ingredients: 1 cup soured milk 3/4 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
To sour milk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to milk and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oven to 325 degrees; prepare 2 loaf pans. Mix soured milk, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet in small portions. Add rhubarb and mix. Pour into loaf pans. Blend sugar and butter; sprinkle on top of batter. Bake 50 minutes. Makes two loaves.
Stawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie
	Ingredients: 2 (8") unbaked pie crusts 2 c. rhubarb, cut into 1"pieces 2 c. fresh strawberries, cut in halves 1 1/4 c. sugar 3 tbsp. butter, melted 3 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (or more to taste) 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
Place strawberries and rhubarb on bottom crust. Mix all other ingredients well; pour over top and spread around fruit. Top with solid crust or make a lattice weave for top crust; flute edges. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Turn down to 350 degrees and bake pie for 35 minutes or until rhubarb is soft.
Rhubarb Cobbler
Ingredients: 2 c. Bisquick 2 c. sugar 2 sticks butter 2 c. milk 2 c. rhubarb
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is preheating place butter in 9 x 13 pan and place in oven to melt. Combine sugar, Bisquick and milk in a bowl and blend until smooth. Approximately 2 minutes. Remove melted butter from oven, add mixture to butter in the pan and stir. Add rhubarb. Bake for 1 hour or until crisp on top. You may sprinkle some cinnamon on top while baking. Delicious warm with whipped cream or half and half. May substitute any other fruit but reduce sugar by 1/2 to 1 cup sugar.

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