A clump of rhubarb is a given on any older farmstead. Our farmstead is no exception, and it features two rhubarb clumps. I could divide them, and expand my rhubarb holdings, but my two clumps are enough.
My two clumps of rhubarb are near our vegetable garden. I harvest rhubarb from the mid-May to mid-June. I will search through the patch for the brightest red stalks and then twist each stalk and pull. This action encourages new growth over the growing season. Be sure to cut off the leaves and dispose of them. They can be toxic to pets and humans. The Iowa State Extension has a great webpage about rhubarb.
After harvesting rhubarb, I will freeze it. It’s very straightforward. Frozen rhubarb is better when cooked, and this is really no big deal, as I know no one who can eat rhubarb raw.
Here are the steps to freeze rhubarb:
- Twist each 10-15” stalk and pull
- Cut off the leaves
- Trim the bottom of stalks
- Rinse and cut into 1” pieces
- Place on parchment lined cookie sheet
- Freeze
- Remove from freezer and put into freezer bags
- Stores for 1 year!
This Rhubarb Cobbler is from the Country Fair Cookbook by the Editors of the Farm Journal, copyright 1975. It doesn’t have as much sugar as a lot of rhubarb deserts and keeps well in the refrigerator. It’s easy to double to fit a 9X12 Pyrex baking dish. I do that and share it with others. That makes people like me more!
Rhubarb Cobbler
Tools You’ll Need:
- Knife to cut rhubarb
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Saucepan
- Fork or pastry blender
- 8X8 Pyrex baking dish or pie pan/dish or 9X12 baking dish if doubled
For Rhubarb Filling: Make First – (Recipe for 8X8. Double for 9X12)
- 4 Cups chopped rhubarb
- 1 Cup sugar
- 2 T cornstarch
- 1 T water
- 2 T more water
- 1 ½ T butter (sliced thin)
Cobbler: (For 8X8. Double for 9X12)
Sift:
- 1 Cup flour
- 1 T sugar
- 1 ½ t baking powder
- ¼ t salt
- ¼ Cup butter
- ¾ C milk
- 1 egg
- 2 t grated orange peel
Directions: Rhubarb Filling: Make rhubarb filling first. In a saucepan, add 1 cup sugar mixed with 2 T cornstarch to 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Add 1 T water and bring this mixture to boiling. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add 2 T water. Pour into an 8X8 baking dish or pie pan/dish. Dot with 1 ½ T butter sliced thin.
Cobbler: Sift together 1 cup flour with 1 T sugar, 1 ½ t baking powder, and ¼ t salt. Cut in ¼ cup butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 T grated orange peel. Mix ¾ cup milk with 1 slightly beaten egg. Add wet mixture all at once with dry ingredients. Stir until just to moisten. Drop by spoonfuls over hot rhubarb filling.
Bake at 400˚ for 20 minutes or until crust is brown. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream. Is fine on its own. Makes 6 servings.
Rhubarb Cobbler Cooking Notes:
Rhubarb has always had a bad rap that it’s not sweet enough and needs a lot of sugar to make it palatable. This recipe proves that boiling sugar with the rhubarb makes it sweet without lots of sugar. With only 1 cup + 1 T sugar for a six serving cobbler, it’s kind of a winner in my book!
I always double this and bake it in a 9X12 Pyrex baking dish. I do the double because it keeps well in the refrigerator, and it’s also a nice desert to share with others.
If you don’t have orange peel, no one will notice, though it does give the cobbler a tiny zing.
Be Blessed!