Ruminating on Rhubarb

Dear Capon Friends,

Jonathan (Marketing and Recreation Manager and 3rd generation Capon family member) here...  Funny how food traditions can return you to some of your favorite childhood memories.  For as long as I can remember I have liked rhubarb sauce.  Sure part of it was the silly name.  But the draw has always been the unique combination of tart and sweet that made me think I was enjoying a candy treat.  So every year around mid-May I look forward to this fresh produce—one of the first harvested from Capon’s RiverMeadow Farm.  What makes rhubarb so special to me is how tasty it is in combination with other Capon desserts like gingerbread cake, apple crisp and vanilla ice cream.  (If you’ve ever
enjoyed a Capon meal with me, then you know how much I enjoy combining desserts:  sandwiching green mint chip ice cream between chocolate chip cookies, raspberry ice cream with chocolate sauce on coconut bars, lemon sorbet on cantaloupe!).

Rhubarb in peak season also signals that June strawberries are not far behind.  That means I can eagerly anticipate my favorite of all combinations… strawberry-rhubarb pie!  And that brings to mind the beginning of summer and the carefree days of my preteen years of what seemed like unlimited freedom, exploration and discovery.  Funny how a silly crimson stalk can nourish your soul with meaningful memories...

The other day while enjoying fresh rhubarb sauce for dessert, the question was posed at the lunch table:  is rhubarb a veggie, or a fruit?  It’s not the part of the plant that develops from a flower and it does not contain seeds so it can’t be a fruit.  But how can a vegetable taste so tart?

Well, I did some (very quick) research and, according to Wikipedia, rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable.  However, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits. Another fact about rhubarb:  although the stalk is very versatile and is used in pies, crumbles, crisps, muffins, etc., be sure to steer clear of the leaves as they contain poisonous ingredients!

Just in case all this talk of rhubarb has your taste buds craving this unique and delicious spring-time treat, I’ve included Capon’s recipe for rhubarb pie below.  What food traditions return you to some of your favorite childhood memories?

Capon’s old-fashioned Two-Crust rhubarb Pie:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

⅔ c. lard

¼ c. ice water

Filling:

3 c. cut fresh rhubarb

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. sugar

Dash of nutmeg

Sift flour and salt together.  Add lard to flour mixture.  Mix with fork and hands until crumbly - the size of peas.  Add ice water; stir just enough to mix.  (Too much working results in a tough pastry.)  Divide dough into two parts, reserving a little more dough for the bottom half.  Roll each crust 1/8-inch thick.  Fit bottom crust into pie pan. Set aside remaining dough.  Fill pie shell with fruit.  Mix cornstarch with sugar and spread over fruit.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Form remaining crust dough into lattice top. Bake at 350º to 375º for 1 hour or until rhubarb is tender. Makes one 9-inch pie. Enjoy!