Hold the Strawberries

Photo via Wikipedia

The big red things in your box are rhubarb.  When I was a kid, and even to today, my parents had it growing in their garden.  And one of the first things from the garden after the long, cold Midwest winter broke would be the rhubarb.  My mom would make strawberry-rhubarb cobbler or pie.  It's very tart, so pairing it with something super sweet, like strawberries, works very well.

I have a very funny rhubarb story, actually.  When I first started participating in a CSA several years ago, I got a box with Swiss chard in it.  I'd never seen nor even heard of chard before, and so I thought it was just small rhubarb.  So I made a cobbler out of it with some strawberries.  The whole time, the texture wasn't exactly right, but I plowed forward anyway.  It didn't have much in the way of the tart flavor (duh), but it seemed okay.  I brought it to a church potluck.  Pastor had about 3 helpings, so I guess it was fine.  Let's hope he's not one of my loyal readers...

Photo via Taste of Home

Pairing rhubarb and strawberries works so well, in fact, that most people can hardly come up with something with rhubarb not containing strawberries (or blackberries, or another very sweet berry).  Gauntlet cast!  If you, like me, have greedily eaten all of your strawberries from last week, here are some things you can do with rhubarb without them!

• One of my very favorite blogs to follow for canning idea is Food In Jars.  If you ever in your life want to make some jam or can anything, follow Marisa's blog.  She's written a cookbook that's well worth it, too.  Her rhubarb suggestion is rhubarb vanilla jam.  I guess you can pickle rhubarb too; seeing as I like my pickles super sour, and the combination with star anise is intriguing, I might give that a try!  
• Sticking with the sweet theme, I've found two baked goods to try.  Naptime Chef is a wonderful blog for baked goods, another worthy one to follow.  I really want to make this rhubarb ginger buckle, and these oatmeal squares sound pretty good too.

Photo via bon appétit

• I've found two highly promising savory recipes as well.  I'm using the rhubarb from my box this week to make a compote with pork tenderloin.  This recipe for spicy chicken with rhubarb salsa sounds fantastic, too.
• Last but not least, don't forget cocktail hour!  Some of the Nalls staff are pretty keen on the idea of rhubarb infused vodka.  I'm planning to try out my mixology skills for a couple of blog posts later this summer, so stay tuned for that!

Photo via Spoon Fork Bacon

Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Until now I'd never actually cooked with rhubarb before, and the only time I've ever eaten it was on my very first visit to meet the Mister's grandparents in Indiana.  Grandma Jackson definitely won me over to the strange looking fruit...er vegetable, er what the heck is this thing, a tree?  While we know rhubarb is tasty, we all wonder, what exactly is this thing that looks more like a means of self defense than something to be used in dessert?  Well let's just say the jury is still out, or more accurately the jury ruled and confused things further.  While rhubarb is indeed a vegetable, a U.S. Customs Court ruled in 1947 that it was a fruit and thus, here in the States, it's been considered a fruit ever since.  Either way, it is delicious and I was excited for its maiden voyage in my kitchen.  Inspired by the Barefoot Contessa recipe I shared the other evening, I decided to use what I had on hand to whip up a gluten-free and dairy-free version, plus reduce some of the sugar content.  The only downside was burning the roof off my mouth because I couldn't wait to dig in!

Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh rhubarb, ends trimmed and diced

2 cups fresh strawberries, tops removed and quartered (or triple berry it with 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup blackberries)

¼ cup local honey

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup water

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp vanilla extract (Note: most imitation extract contain gluten, so check labels or make your own)

½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Shortbread Cookie Mix**

½ cup ground almond meal

¼ cup sugar

3 Tbsp Earth Balance Margarine (for dairy-free, or use any butter of your choosing)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, honey and brown sugar.  Dissolve cornstarch in water and then add to fruit mixture.  Add vanilla extract, plus another dash for good measure.  Mix to fully combine all ingredients and then pour into baking dish.

For crumble topping, in a separate bowl, combine Bob's Red Mill Shortbread Cookie Mix, almond meal and sugar.  Then by hand, rub margarine into the mixture until it's crumbly.  Use more or less butter if needed.  Sprinkle over top of fruit and dot the top with small pieces of butter.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Allow to cool for a few minutes (seriously, the roof of your mouth will thank you) and serve with vanilla bean ice cream, if desired.  We recommend So Delicious Vanilla Bean, made with coconut milk!

**Easily enjoy this gluten-full (ha!) with 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt!**

Guest Posts from Crop Share Members: Janet Dwire & Natasha Scott

We LOVE knowing what's cookin' in your kitchens, so I'm super excited to bring you two guest posts today from Crop Share members Janet Dwire and Natasha Scott.  I know several of you have started your own food blogs, and many more of you are coming up with delicious recipes of your own each week, so send those guest posts our way as we'd love for this blog to be a shared collective from our Crop Share family.  E-mail me any recipes or helpful tips you'd love to share at tara@nallsproduce.com.

Corn in Husk in Microwave

1. Check silks end of ear for worms.


2. Use a heavy knife to cut off stalk end, about 3/4 of an inch up the cob.


3. Leave husks on and lay 2 ears in microwave.  Two ears take 5 minutes -- on a rotating tray -- with no turning.


4. Grasp husks at silk end using and oven mitt.  Gently sake the corn from side to side, or in a circle until the cob starts to slip out of the husks.


5.  Grasp the corn cob carefully (it's hot!) and pull hands apart to separate the cob from the silks and husks.

6.  Compost the husks and enjoy this summer's corn!


Cheers,
Janet Dwire

Strawberry Rhubarb Overnight Oatmeal

Pop on over to Tash's Noshes to view Natasha Scott's healthy take on strawberry-rhubarb deliciousness!

Barefoot Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Break out the "good olive oil" and don your custom made shirt because I'm bringing you a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten.  While I often feel like Ina is silently judging me with her commentary, I have a friend who's obsession with the Barefoot has often bordered on the unhealthy.  Take for instance the time she was frantically calling, texting, e-mailing and Facebooking me during the work day about how we just had to run up to NYC for a Barefoot book signing.  Did I mention this was like a week or two before her wedding and she was up to her bridal ears in final preparations?  Like I said, it can sometimes border on the unhealthy.  But I can't argue with her assertion that there really is no better way to slip into a coma of relaxation than putting on Barefoot Contessa and allowing Ina's voice to lull you into a foodie stupor.  Plus, Ina's ability to make the most daunting recipes seem simple and accessible is right up my alley.  She really is a next-generation Julia Child (just not as cool, because no one, no one, is as cool as Julia).  So when I stumbled upon her recipe for a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, I knew this was just the ticket to put the strawberries and rhubarb in this week's share to perfect Memorial Day picnic use!  As Ina would say..."How easy is that?"

Barefoot Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh rhubarb, diced to 1 inch

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal

6 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

I halved the original recipe to work with the amount of strawberries & rhubarb we're all receiving, so be sure to snag 2 more stalks of rhubarb and another quart of strawberries if you want to make the full 6 serving recipe.

Click through to view the rest of Ina's recipe on the Food Network...