Old Fashioned Rhubarb Recipes
By Brenda Hyde

In Michigan, the harvesting of rhubarb is a tradition for many gardeners and cooks each spring. I didn't realize just how many recipes I had collected for this sweet, yet tart, vegetable until I was gathering them for this feature. However, I chose those that were easy and would appeal to everyone in the family.

Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
3/4 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together all cake ingredients and pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Before baking combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
Unbaked pastry for 2 pie crusts (For the top and bottom)
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together sugar and flour. Place one of the pie crusts pastries in a pie plate for the bottom crust, and place the rhubarb in the bottom. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with strawberries and remaining sugar mixture. Dot with butter. Place on top crust and crimp edges. Cut slits in the top of the crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Rhubarb Sponge Pie

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie shell
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. tapioca
2 tsp. grated orange rind
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons orange juice

Mix rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, tapioca and orange rind. Pour into the pie shell. In a small bowl, beat together eggs and sugar for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat one more minute. Pour over rhubarb mixture in pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and the batter is cooked.

Easy Rhubarb Jam

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups rhubarb, finely diced
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-o

Mix rhubarb and sugar, allow to sit overnight. The next morning, boil the mixture for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add Jell-o and mix until it's dissolved. Pour into sterilized jars. Cool, and keep in refrigerator.

Rhubarb Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Stir together in order given. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes 2 loafs.

Rhubarb Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tablespoon margarine
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 ounce package strawberry gelatin
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 stick margarine

Cut the 2 tablespoons margarine into the flour until crumbly. Add eggs, milk, baking powder and salt. Make a soft dough and press into an 8x8 inch pan. Press the dough up the sides of the pan. Place the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the pan . Sprinkle with the strawberry gelatin(dry). In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and margarine to make a topping. Sprinkle over the gelatin. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.