rhubarb : "pie plant" : not just "pink celery"

One of the most marvelous tastes of summer is that of the tangy veggie known as rhubarb. Even though it's truly a vegetable, when combined with a little bit of sugar, honey, or agave or maple syrup, and often another fruit, it can create a lovely sweet.

Having had rhubarb in combination with other fruits, I wanted to give it a shot on it's own and see how it held up; I was most definitely grateful I did.

spiced rhubarb "butter"

adapted from The View From the Great Island

ingredients:

1 lb rhubarb

scant ½ cup turbinado sugar (really any sugar or sweetener should do, unless it doesn't have crystalizing properties)

generous ¼ tsp ground ginger

generous ¼ tsp ground cardamom

zest of ½ lemon

juice from that half lemon

2 tbsp. water

First, clean the rhubarb stalks and slice into about 1-inch pieces.

Add to a heavy bottom sauce pan with the remaining ingredients and mix.

Bring mixture to a boil, and once the juices from the rhubarb begin to release, reduce heat to a low boil/simmer. Keep mixture on heat for 25-30 minutes, and as rhubarb breaks down, mix and crush with a wooden spoon. When the mixture looks thoroughly broken down, and quite reduced, turn off the heat.

Purée rhubarb mixture (I used a food processor), then jar and enjoy!