Tuesday, July 12, 2011

rhubarb

We did not have a TV when I was a kid, and  I had never seen the show "Green Acres"  and so (as often happens to me)...I didn't get the joke when my husband suggested we name our farm Green Acres.
I assumed he referred to the landscape.
One of the plants that came up that first year was Rhubarb; in the wrong place, of course, as far as I was concerned. I dug it up and put it closer to the house. It flourished and expanded.
I researched nutrition and health effects:  good for you... cancer fighting...  fiber and vitamins... cooking it makes it even better. Of course they warned about eating the leaves; so I used the leaves as mulch in my garden.
After several busy years where I only used a little before it went to seed I finally had the brilliant idea to harvest it all, chop it, and freeze several  gallon bags for the following year. I'll experiment with cooking the frozen supply later, in small amounts.
The best thing about chopping and freezing right away was that I actually got a huge amount stored away with little heat/mess/effort.
I experimented and created several recipes using rhubarb...
plenty of failures and successes.

 FAVORITE: Rhubarb smoothie

1 Banana
few spoonfuls (~ 4 oz) plain low fat yogurt (I prefer Dannon, no suger/ flavor added)
handful chopped raw rhubarb
a little water

Blend well. Fibers/Chunks may still be present.
Add Protein Powder if desired.
I use the Magic Bullet Blender.

Substitute: Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

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