Pardon me if I wax poetic about rhubarb. I am of Scandinavian descent, so it has been a part of my life since I was yay high. One of the first plants I learned about was rhubarb. Mom gently steered me away from the burdock toward Nordic nirvana. "Shiny leaves, Cissy, shiny leaves. Don't eat the leaves, just the stem."
In the summertime, when we visited cousins or they visited us, the adults could entertain us by just giving us a glass with some sugar in the bottom. The oldest child would have a knife to cut the leaves off the rhubarb and we would rub the dirt off and dip it in the sugar and eat it. One sugar glass was usually good for three or four kids. If we got scrappy or hoggish on the sugar, any random adult would just holler, "Share!" If things didn't settle down, the sugar went back in the house and we got no more of the tart treat.
This morning, I spent a few hours making rhubarb lemonade. It is really easy to make and I am going to can my bounty. Here's how to make it: Take 8-9 nice sized stalks of rhubarb and cut it in chunks into a large pot. Cover with 8 cups of boiling water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to get all the flavor out of the rhubarb. Strain it into another large container and add 1/3 cup sugar and 5 drops of red food coloring while it is still hot. Cool, pour over ice and enjoy!
Fair warning....rhubarb has laxative properties for some people, so you might not want to make this a steady part of the diet. Here's more about rhubarb...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb
While the rhubarb was simmering, I tilled my garden plot from last year. I wasn't going to plant a big garden, but this adventure is teaching me that even if I can't use it all, someone else can.
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