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4 • June 2016 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


& Prosper! Cloverdale, CA. ~ Rhubarb root


Eat Well


has been used medicinally by the Chinese for thousands of years. Its earliest use, has a purgative, was documented in 2,700 B.C. Its name comes from the an- cient term for the Volga River, on whose banks the plant grows. Or, it comes from


the Greek “to fl ow”, in allusion to its cathartic powers. Marco Polo researched the cul-


tivation of the rhubarb root to a mountainous northwestern Chi- nese province. T e cost of transporting rhu-


barb across Asia made it expen- sive in medieval Europe. T e roots sold for several times the cost of the valuable cinnamon, opium and saff ron.


THE “PIE PLANT” by Executive Chef Ron Skaar ~ ronskaar@comcast.net ~ 707-490-7636 Commerce in the “drug” did


not become securely established until Islamic trade began along the “silk road”. Coming thru the Bosporus


straight, the root became “Turkish rhubarb” when it reached 14th cen- tury Europe. Later on it was renamed “Russian rhubarb” aſt er the trade route went thru that area. In 18th century


England rhubarb turned from a vegetable to a fruit. Rhubarb became the fi rst “fruit” of early spring and was used to make sweet pies and tarts. Soon, better varieties were developed along with a new technique for digging up the roots to force their growth in warm dark sheds. Cultivating rhubarb in the hot house produced pink and pale red


to July. T e fi eld grown may need to have its stringy fi bers removed during preparation. Choose deep colored, decent


sized, straight and fi rm stalks for cooking. Roots and leaves are poison-


ous, so remove and discard prop- erly. Rhubarb tastes sweeter aſt er it is cooked, so stew it fi rst and


stalks, milder tasting, less stringy and available year round. Most chefs prefer the fi eld grown, dark red stalks with there pronounced tart fl avor, harvested from April


than add the sugar. Start with ½ cup sugar per


pound of cut-up “fruit” or stew- ing it in orange juice can enhance the fl avor. Cooking it in pineapple juice or with pineapple chunks adds sweetness and piquancy. Never use cast iron or alumi- num pans when stew- ing these highly acidic ingredients. Two cups of fresh


diced rhubarb (which cooks down to about one cup), supplies 20%


of the RDA of vitamin C, po- tassium, manganese and good amounts of fi ber. But people prone to kidney stones should avoid consumption due to the oxalic acid in rhubarb. In a stainless steel pot, add diced


rhubarb, enough water or juice to come part way up the sides and add some lemon or orange zest.


Pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie 1 ¼ cup sugar


1/3 cup unbleached fl our ½ teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel


2 cups of ½ inch dice fresh rhubarb


3 cups sliced fresh strawberries


2 tablespoons butter or margarine


DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together


JOKES & Humor # 2


A couple of clams were eating chocolate bars while two fi sh watched. “Did you see that?” one fi sh said, as the clams fi nished their treat.


“They didn’t offer us a single bite!”


“What do you expect?” asked the other fi sh. “They’re two shellfi sh.”


Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until ten- der. Add more sugar to taste and cook for another 5 minutes. June 9th is our national straw-


berry-rhubarb pie day. Some recipes precook the rhubarb for fi ve minutes, with a little sugar, to remove most of the liquid before baking.


FRESH RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY PIE


sugar, fl our and citrus peel. Turn half of rhubarb and half of strawberries into pasty-lined pie pan; sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with re- maining rhubarb, strawberries and sugar; dot with butter. Cov- er with top crust which has slits cut in it; seal and fl ute. Sprinkle with sugar and cover edge with strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes


and remove foil the last 15 minutes of baking.


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barryo@stearns.com 4 • June 2016 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


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“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


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