Fresh Rhubarb and An Easy Crumble Recipe

I love rhubarb and in particular the pleasure of tucking into a rhubarb crumble in the middle of winter.

Rhubarb thrives in my garden and it seems easy to maintain; I keep the weeds down and feed it once a year. This might actually be neglect, but whatever it is, it seems to work for me.

I take the first picking in April / May and then again in the Autumn; never picking more than a third of the stalks so that there is still plenty there to feed the plant.

Whether you grow your own or buy it in the shop, it’s easy to prepare and store. Just cut off the top leaf and the stubby white base and give the remaining stalk a good wash. The leaf is poisonous so be sure to dispose of it in your compost bin. I like to cut the stalks into chunks roughly 2cm x 2cm as this works well for desserts and jams.

If you want to freeze the rhubarb weigh the chunks into a freezer bag and label it clearly. I usually weigh 1lb to a bag and write Rhubarb, 1lb, UB Date which is 12 months from the date I freeze the rhubarb as it will keep for up to 12 months if sealed in a good quality freezer bag.

If you want to make a rhubarb crumble just follow the recipe below: –

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

Layer the bottom of an oven proof bowl with chopped rhubarb, about 5 cm deep and sprinkle with brown sugar, 5 tablespoons to 1lb rhubarb. If you don’t have brown sugar use what you have in the cupboard.

I like to sprinkle a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ground clove on to the fruit, but you don’t have to.

To make the crumble add 3oz of plain flour, 3oz of brown sugar and 3oz of porridge oats to a bowl and mix. Then add 4.5 oz cold chopped butter and rub together so it resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the crumble over the rhubarb and place on a baking tray in the oven and bake for approximately 45-60 minutes at 180 until the top is brown and the rhubarb is bubbling at the sides. I like to leave it to cool for 15 minutes otherwise it is too hot to handle!

HINTS & TIPS

• This crumble works really well with apples, plums etc. as well as rhubarb.
• Why not use up any left over rhubarb and/or crumble and make up an extra pudding and cook it in a tinfoil container at the same time and keep in the freezer until you need it?
• To add a lemony flavour why not add a teaspoon of ground coriander to the crumble for something a little different?
• Sprinkle some chopped nuts onto the crumble for a nice crunch.
• Keep a sharpie pen in your box of freezer bags so you don’t have to go hunting for a pen when you want to freeze something.