Though the 21rst of March felt more like the first day of summer than the first day of spring, it’s definitely spring at St Lawrence Market and all our favourite springtime produce has begun to arrive: artichokes, fresh peas, white asparagus – even (BC) fiddleheads – plus beautiful mushrooms and lovely pink forced rhubarb, just to name a few.

In early spring, “forced” (or greenhouse) rhubarb is the first spring fruit to appear. Though rhubarb is technically a vegetable, because of its fruity flavour, we tend to use it as a fruit in sweet recipes like pies, jams, chutneys, sauces and crumbles (though once it was used mostly for medical purposes). According to Foodland Ontario: “the roots to produce forced rhubarb are dug outdoors in the fall and stored in a darkened shed at about 10°C until buds appear to produce an early spring crop.” These are the thin and vibrant pink stalks with the pale green leaves that we are seeing around the market now. Even when cooked, this early rhubarb keeps its lovely fuchsia colour. Come May-June, we’ll start to see the thicker, darker outdoor varieties that pair so well – and so timely – with local strawberries.

But for now, if you are looking for a little taste of spring here’s an easy crumble recipe with lots of flavour, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. BTW, there’s still room in our Spring Brunch Class on Saturday March 31rst. We’ll be cooking a menu based on our favourite spring herbs and vegetables (including rhubarb) topped off with a special brunch cocktail. For more information, check out our events page.

Enjoy!

RHUBARB CRUMBLE
Makes 4 servings
*Since early spring rhubarb is rather thin, the banana helps to bulk up this crumble and add a mild sweetness without extra sugar.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/4 white sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large banana, chopped

Crumble:
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup pine nuts and/or chopped walnuts – *we like the combo

Method:
Toss together rhubarb, sugar and flour in 4 cup baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in 400°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Cover with chopped banana.

Crumble: With hands, combine oats, flour, sugar and brown sugar; blend in butter until crumbly. Mix in pine nuts and/or walnuts. Scatter over banana-rhubarb mixture, pressing gently. Bake, uncovered, in 350°F oven until fruit is bubbly and crumble is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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