I haven’t always loved rhubarb. It just so happens that it was peer pressure that brought me to the point of tasting the long, stalky, pink fruit for the first time. Or is it a vegetable? I’m not sure.
When we were young, living in Danville, Illinois, my sister and I spent a lot of our summers playing outside in the back yard. At the time the space seemed huge, but I was only five then. I’m not really clear on how big it was, maybe an acre? At any rate, in the far back, right corner of the property behind our house, there was rhubarb growing.
Now, my sister, Marilyn, she is known for eating sour things. When she was a baby she wanted to suck on slices of lemon. I wasn’t old enough to be wary of my sister and her tastebuds when we hiked to the back half of the yard and she wanted to eat some rhubarb. She liked it when she tried it before, she said. And she broke off a stalk and snapped it in half, holding out a piece to me. At five, I trusted my big sister, so I took a big bite.
I don’t particularly enjoy sour…
Later, I know it was much, much later, my great grandmother made a dessert for us when we visited her house in Iowa. Rhubarb crisp, warm with a large scoop of Hy-vee vanilla ice cream. I cringed. not rhubarb… But she assured me, it was delicious – she’d made it many times before and everyone always loved it. Of course, I loved my GG and trusted her, so I took a big bite. I’ve never enjoyed anything more in my whole life. Not a single drop or crumb was left.
It is amazing what a little sweetener will do.
This is my reality as a believer, too. So often trials and hardships season my life with a bitter flavor. I confess that I don’t always love every part of what my Heavenly Father has planned for me. Unfortunately He didn’t say He would remove all of the bitterness. In fact it is quite the opposite. But, He did give, in Scripture, many life-giving, hope-securing promises. I know I can trust these promises in God’s word; for me, they are the sweetener of life, taking the sour-ness and making it bearable. Sometimes even wonderful…
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:3)
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Since I do love to bake desserts, I thought I’d share this recipe here, on the blog… (I found it on the sweetmary blog.) It is a recipe for a rhubarb oatmeal square that I made recently, and it really is wonderful! Very reminiscent of the rhubarb crisp my GG made, and really delicious with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Rhubarb Oatmeal Squares
Crust/crumble Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup water
Filling Ingredients:
3 cups chopped rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (I used 1 cup, but 3/4 is also fine)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup water
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan with butter or non-stick spray.
Make filling first.
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Dissolve sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Cook until rhubarb has broken down and mixture has thickened a bit. The mixture should be like syrup (meaning not entirely liquid and not as thick as jam). This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the mixture will thicken as it cools, too. Cool for about 10 minutes.
While the filling cools, make the crust.
Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Add the oats and 1/4 cup water. Mix until crumbly.
Firmly pat half of this mixture into the greased baking pan.
Then, add the rhubarb mixture. Spread evenly over the crumble mixture.
Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the rhubarb.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until it starts to brown. Cool. Cut into bars.
(I should have baked mine longer, they were a bit gooey at 25 minutes… but chilled they are a firm bar. If I had baked another 5 minutes, the crust may have firmed up more)
daily portion 