Rhubarb is a summer staple

This time of year, there’s a produce patch in my backyard that requires no maintenance other than a regular cutting. It’s none other than rhubarb, and I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I should.

Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable. In use it is considered a fruit.

That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who also notes that rhubarb actually belongs to the buckwheat family. Most of the nation’s rhubarb is grown in Washington, Michigan and California.

There’s even a grading system for rhubarb, with three grades for evaluators to apply: U.S. Fancy is the best, for the tastiest, most colorful and best quality produce. At its peak, rhubarb is at least 10 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 are applied to smaller stalks with less desirable traits.

Is your rhubarb “fancy”? Mine sure isn’t. But I know that it grows like a weed as soon as the ground thaws in the spring, and I can make delicious treats and refreshments with its variegated stalks.

I also know that you can mow over a rhubarb patch as many times as you like, and it will still come back with a vengeance. The patch behind our garage has survived it all. It’s what we call North Dakota hardy.

My son used to eat it like celery when he was little. He didn’t even bother to wash it most of the time. Now a teenager, he still likes to munch on it.

My husband, on the other hand, isn’t a fan (hence the annual efforts at destruction).

My daughters will eat a dessert or treat I’ve made with it, but they’re not likely to pick it, peel it and chop it.

My father-in-law is the only one in his household who enjoys rhubarb. We cut some when he came to visit a couple of weeks ago, and we made rhubarb crunch.

He likes his rhubarb crunch à la mode, and I made homemade whipped cream topping to enjoy with it.

When I was a kid, we made several treats with rhubarb. I remember rhubarb cake, rhubarb crunch and rhubarb custard dessert. Strawberries are a great complement to rhubarb, and so we made strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry rhubarb jam too.

I recall exhibiting items featuring rhubarb for 4-H in Wells County when I was young, and my girls actually exhibited the stalks in the 4-H horticulture category in Eddy County when they were younger.

Eddy-New Rockford librarian Susie Sharp and I recently reminisced about all the rhubarb fundraisers we used to have at the Eddy County Museum when we served on the board together.

I remember making big pans of dessert and having them cut into tiny pieces for sampling.

One of my favorites was homemade rhubarb ice cream, which was made by former state Senator Joan Heckaman. I also recall someone bringing rhubarb punch. As we’ve been experiencing a heat wave recently, a rhubarb drink sounded like a great use of the leftover rhubarb from our last cutting, which we put in the freezer.

I found this recipe for rhubarb lemonade slush at tasteofhome.com, and I plan to give it a try this weekend. I’ll make a “virgin” batch so the kids can enjoy it too.

Rhubarb Lemonade Slush

Ingredients

3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate

1 bottle (2 liters) lemon-lime soda, chilled

1 cup vodka (optional)

To make:

In a large saucepan, bring rhubarb, water and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered, 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool slightly.

Puree mixture in a blender; transfer to a 1-qt. freezer container. Stir in vodka and lemonade concentrate. Freeze, covered, until firm, at least 8 hours.

To serve, transfer mixture to a pitcher; stir in soda. Or, for each serving, place 1/3 cup rhubarb mixture in an 8-oz. glass; stir in 2/3 cup soda.

Nutrition Facts:

1 cup: 180 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 19mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (31g sugars, 1g fiber), 0 protein.

If you want to get your fill of delicious rhubarb treats without spending any time in the kitchen, check out the Rhubarb Festival at the Wells County Fair in Fessenden on Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. The Festival Hall will be filled with a variety of fare featuring rhubarb. For just $3, you can choose six rhubarb items to try. There will also be rhubarb cookbooks available for sale.

The Foster County Fair is also coming up next weekend. While you’re there, make sure to stop by the 4-H and FFA buildings and see all the hard work done by youth this year. Scope out the rhubarb stalks, jams, desserts and other exhibits made with this hardy vegetable.