rhubarb sauce

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I wish there were some luscious rhubarb photos to share, but my camera is out of batteries right now.

We have several rhubarb plants out in our backyard, and a few days ago was the first harvest time (there will be more rhubarb later on in the summer). Grandma of the North brought in a great stack of rhubarb, and showed me how to make rhubarb sauce with them. Rhubarb sauce, if you've never had it before, is a lot like applesauce, but with rhubarb instead. It's tangy, pink, and slightly sweet, a lot like rhubarb pie filling, and it's great by itself or with a little heavy cream poured in or a little whipped cream on top.

Rhubarb Sauce

*several stalks of red rhubarb
*up to 1/2 cup granulated sugar
*water

Wash rhubarb stalks; trim and discard leaves and ends. Slice into about 1/2-inch pieces, peeling off and discarding any especially tough or stringy skin (there is no need to peel stalks completely, as the peels impart color and will cook up very soft anyway). Add chopped rhubarb to a medium/large saucepan and pour in sugar (I used about six cups chopped rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar, so you can determine your proportions from there, and add more sugar to taste if you like). Add just enough water so that you can see it peeking through the rhubarb down in the pan (you do not want it to cover the rhubarb, as it only needs a little water). Bring to a boil, then stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for ten minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency and flavor have been reached. Let cool and enjoy alone, over ice cream, or with whipped cream on top!

God bless,
Mrs. Bear