Rhubarb has its rewards

Now that the holiday madness is waning, we can begin to contemplate gardening again. Rainy winter weather notwithstanding, in our climate, there is plenty to do in the garden. And if you are feeling a bit wonky from overindulging in holiday goodies and eggnog, vigorous work outside is a great way to get back in shape.

One possible task: plant one or several of the "small" fruits. You can take advantage of the fact that selection of small fruits (cane berries, currants, gooseberries, rhubarb and asparagus) is peaking. And your newly set plants will thrive. The moist soil, short days and cool temps all encourage strong root growth now for excellent top growth in spring.

Rhubarb is a particularly undemanding and rewarding crop here. The clumps in my garden never go dormant, providing plenty of juicy stalks to harvest any time of year. Needing only decent drainage and sunshine most of the day, rhubarb rapidly grows from the odd-looking root that you purchase to a big multi-stemmed plant decorative enough to site in the flower garden if need be. [In England, rhubarb is often tucked in among the shrubbery and flowering plants.] Give the plant room to reach 4 feet in diameter at maturity. Work in some rotted manure or compost, set the root just below the soil surface, water it in and watch for handsome red leaves that will green up as they unfurl.

Few insects or pests bother rhubarb since leaves contain oxalic acid. And diseases rarely strike the plant if drainage is adequate. Mine are seldom watered in summer, though the plants probably get some runoff moisture from a nearby raised veggie bed. I give them manure when I have a bit extra but don't have the plants on a regular fertilizer program. And the enormous robust plants just keep producing wonderful stalks for pies, puddings or cobblers, leaving me free to coddle more demanding plants.

Rhubarb supplies vitamins A and C, plus calcium and iron. If you haven't grown or cooked rhubarb, you may be wondering how to use it besides in pies. Easiest is to chop it, then stew gently with a little sugar or honey to eat warm with ice cream or on toast. Countless other possibilities exist. If you enter rhubarb recipes in Google's search engine, you will find dozens of recipes. Here is one of my family's favorites.

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Crust

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.

Blend flour and sugar together, then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender. Press crust into a 9x13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with a cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Prepare filling while crust is baking.

Filling

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. flour

4 eggs beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

4-5 cups chopped rhubarb

In a large mixing bowl, blend sugar and flour, then add eggs, vanilla and rhubarb and blend well. Pour mixture over partially baked crust and continue baking for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.