Rhubarb & Apple Crumble *plus* How to Grow Rhubarb

Just as sweet as this seasonal dessert, there’s a monthly feature happening here on Willowtree with one very talented person. If you read Tina’s first post in her series on community gardening in Calgary, Alberta (yes, Calgary) you already know about Andrea Bellamy, her blog Heavy Petal and her small space gardening book Sugar Snaps & Strawberries for which our very own Jackie shot the photos for. Well, Andrea is that very talented person.

Beginning with this Rhubarb & Apple Crumble, Willowtree and Andrea will choose an in-season ingredient, then arm you with the knowledge of how to not only cook that ingredient into something delicious, but also how to grow it in your very own garden. We’re aiming to post monthly clear through until the end of the growing season, and we hope you’ll join us. So here goes.

What makes this a Willowtree-endorsed recipe is the use of oats from gluten-free facilities such as Bob’s Red Mill (one of our favourites), it makes this dish super easy on the digestive systems of us food-sensitive folks. And c’mon; it’s easy, fast, delicious baking without the precise measurements… who doesn’t love that?

Makes: 1 large pie/baking dish or 6 individual portions

Cook Time: 15 minutes prep time + 45 minutes bake time

Filling Ingredients:
4 cups rhubarb, ends chopped off, strings (the red “skin”) removed, and cut into bite size chunks
2 cups apple, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup candied or crystallized ginger, chopped into small slices

Filling Method:

In a large bowl combine the rhubarb, apple, sugar and flour and toss well to coat. Add candied ginger and stir. Empty mixture into a deep oven-safe baking dish.

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup oats *gluten free folks: choose oats made in a gluten free facility
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup unsalted, room temperature butter *lactose free folks: substitute coconut oil

Topping Method:

Using your hands, blend above ingredients together and sprinkle evenly into your baking dish, over top of the filling.

Place in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 375°.

Yum yum yum!

Andrea’s Tips on Growing Rhubarb
Rhubarb is possibly the most popular and easy-to-grow perennial vegetable, resisting pests and scoffing at temperatures well below freezing. Buy rhubarb plants at the nursery or farmer’s market, and plant in full sun, in rich, well-drained soil. Don’t harvest any stalks the first year; give the plant a chance to get established. In subsequent years, harvest up to half the stalks by twisting them off near the base of the plant. Never eat the leaves; they’re poisonous!
Rhubarb will be fine without any help from you, but appreciates an annual top-dressing (2 inches or so spread around the plant’s root zone) of compost or manure.

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