Turn kids on to rhubarb in April

Behold the sour rhubarb stem. Every child will pucker up and spit it out when a parent teases them with a raw bite. But in the right recipe, with enough sweetness to tame its bite, rhubarb has always been a favorite April fruit in our family. 

Not only is rhubarb delicious and vibrant with its rich red-pink hues, it’s also packed with nutrients. According to the educators at Penn State Extension:

“Rhubarb is a rich source of nutrients providing 45% of daily value of Vitamin K in a serving size of 1 cup. In addition, rhubarb contains Vitamin C and A, along with folate, riboflavin, and niacin. rhubarb provides 32% of the daily value of manganese in a serving.” It also provides iron, potassium, phosphorus and phytochemicals and phenols that provide the body with additional health benefits.

Yes, yes, strawberry rhubarb pie is one of the most popular ways to wrangle this long, stringy stalk, but the berries aren’t really in season until late May (and through July). Thank goodness there are other tasty ways to tempt your kids with this bountiful springtime fruit, including the BBC’s Cardamom, rhubarb & ginger French toast traybake, Heartbeet Kitchen’s Rhubard Almond Flour Muffins, and, when those strawberries finally arrive, Molly Katzen’s (Moosewood Cookbook) Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. And, here, from the San Juan Island Food Co-Op, is one of new family favorites: 

Amish Rhubarb Custard Pie

Ingredients:

• Any pie crust you like, homemade or store-bought
• 1 ½ cups San Juan Island rhubarb, sliced into half-inch pieces
• 1 cup organic cane sugar (for a low-carb version, substitute Allulose 1-to1)
• 2 Tablespoons organic flour of your choice
• 2 farm fresh eggs
• ¾ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place sliced rhubarb into an unbaked pie shell.
3. Thoroughly whisk together the remaining four ingredients to create the filling.
4. Pour the filling mixture over the rhubarb.
5. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (until filling is set – some jiggle is okay).
6. Optional add-ins:   blueberries, strawberries, raspberries.  Sprinkle on top after filling the pie shell.

This recipe was submitted to the San Juan Food Co-Op by *Hannah, whose last name was not available, who combined and adapted it from multiple online and print sources.

Read more:

Two tasty bakes from Pie School author Kate Lebo

Seattle food historian’s go-to easy dinner recipes

A breakfast cake that’s good for them?