Secrets of Rhubarb

The taste of rhubarb still thrills me as much as it did when we ate canned fruit all winter and gloried in this, the first "fruit" of spring. The ruby-red stalks have been available at the Pasco Farmer's Market this year, and I usually get around four pounds.

To the trimmed, sliced rhubarb, I add about two cups of water and 3/4 cup or so of agave syrup. Honey works well, too. Cook it up, stirring frequently and adding water if necessary, 'til the pieces are soft.

Rhubarb has an interesting affinity for basil; if you add some chopped basil after the rhubarb is cooked, it will create a delightful "mystery" flavor that people will try to place, usually unsuccessfully.

This year I learned that my trusty Wusthof kitchen shears do a fine job of slicing the stalks much more quickly than using a knife; the shears cut completely through the rhubarb's strings rather than having to put extra slicing effort into using a knife.

You can actually dice raw rhubarb up finely (1/4 inch or so) and bake it into muffins, pancakes and breads as you would raisins or cranberries. I am thinking about coming up with a rhubarb granola recipe.

Rhubarb is easy to grow once established, though it is a heavy feeder. I currently don't have a rhubarb patch but would like to!