Spring = Rhubarb

I love rhubarb.  Rhubarb pie, rhubarb jam, a stalk of rhubarb plain or dipped in a little bit of sugar.  Rhubarb also means that spring is finally here and summer is on the way.  Growing up in Colorado, our neighbor up the road, Leona Nelson, had a huge patch of ‘wild’ rhubarb growing in her pasture.  Leona was mean.  She was my school bus driver (I swear that she is the model for the bus driver on South Park), the leader of my 4-H club, and the step-mother of our most frequent babysitter Marsha.   But even though I was terrified of her, I used to sneak into her pasture in the early summer and steal some of her rhubarb.

Now, luckily I can just get it from the farmers market in Fort Greene.  I bought some yesterday, but I didn’t have time to make a pie, so this morning I just whipped up some rhubarb compote:  rhubarb cooked with water, sugar and lemon.  It’s great with yoghurt & granola, spread on toast or pancakes, or with greek yoghurt and soft coconut macaroons as a simple dessert.    As soon as the sour cherries are out, I’ll definitely be making a rhubarb and sour cherry pie.  Can’t wait.