Rhubarb - you either love it or not. There doesn’t seem to be any in-between when it comes to this fruit that lends itself from a pale pink to a ruby red hue. This strange looking plant with its giant leaves and pink stems comes originally to us from China and Tibet. These ancient cultures used the rhubarb for medicinal purposes. Its leaves are very toxic, and they should never be eaten.

Here are a few country-fair recipes for rhubarb - pick your favorite and see if your family can decide if they are rhubarb enthusiasts.

RHUBARB CREAM PIE - 2 cups rhubarb, washed, dried, and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tbs. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk 2 eggs, separated

Mix the sugar, flour, milk and egg yolks together. Pour this mixture over the cut rhubarb and mix together well. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake in a 425 degree oven until the fruit is tender and the filling is a custard consistency. You can add meringue to the baked pie using the egg whites and 3 tbs. of sugar. Brown in the oven for about 10 mins. Cool and serve.

RHUBARB COOKIE TREAT 4 cups trimmed, washed, and diced rhubarb 2 cups sugar divided 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tbs. sweet-cream butter 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350. Using a pre-buttered baking pan, place diced rhubarb in pan and sprinkle with 1 cup of the sugar and all of the cinnamon. Heat in oven for about 20 mins. Remove from oven and set aside. Cream together 2 tbs. butter and 1 cup sugar. Add the eggs, gently stir in the flour, and add the salt. Mix gently incorporating all the ingredients. Pour this mixture over the hot rhubarb. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove, cool, and cut into squares .

FAVORITE RHUBARB TREAT 1 cup flour

3 tbs. powdered sugar 1/2 cup sweet-cream butter 2 cups trimmed, washed, diced rhubarb 2 eggs 1-1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup orange juice (not concentrate) 3/4 tsp. salt

Mix the flour, powdered sugar and butter together and press into the bottom of an ungreased 7-1/2 x 11-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Remove from oven and set aside. Mix the rhubarb, eggs, sugar, flour, orange juice and salt together. Pour onto the baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Using a knife inserted in center, check to see if the center is set. If not, bake for an additional 5-8 mins. Test again, and when knife comes out clean, remove, cool, and serve.

Here is a very different kind of jam. Try it - you just might make this your favorite!

EASY RHUBARB JAM

4 cups trimmed, washed, and diced rhubarb 2 cups granulated sugar 1 (3 oz.) box raspberry jello (Do not make the jello - just use the powder)

In pan, combine all the ingredients above. Simmer over a gentle, low heat until well cooked. Pour into fancy glass jars. When the jam has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator.

Easy and tastes great!

There is nothing nicer than combining two seasonal favorites and discovering that two good things make one great pie!

RHUBARB/STRAWBERRY PIE

1-1/2 cups rhubarb, trimmed, washed and cut into small pieces 1 cup fresh washed, trimmed, and sliced strawberries 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tbs. flour 2 tbs. sweet cream butter 1 tbs. cold milk 1 9” unbaked pie shell, ready-made or made from scratch

Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, flour, butter and milk. Gently blend and then pour into unbaked pie shell. Dot mixture with remaining 1 tbs. butter. Cover pie with additional pie crust, or use strips of pie crust for a lattice design. Also, if using an additional pie crust, combine equal amounts of flour (about 1/2 cup), sugar (about 1/2 cup), and about 3 tbs. softened sweet-cream butter. Cut with pastry blender or two knives. You will get very tasty crunchies to sprinkle on top of your pie crust. Flute the edges of the two crusts together before using the sprinkles. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 mins. Reduce oven to 350 and bake for 30 mins. or until crust/or crunchies are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a very special pie ala mode.

Hope these recipes make a rhubarb lover out of you and your family. ©Arleen M. Kaptur