It’s wasn’t the first robin spotted on the partially snow-covered yard, not the first flock of Canada geese winging north, not even the first dandelion showing its yellow face on the south side of our old farm house. None of these impressed my dad that spring had arrived. It was when rhubarb was ready for eating—that’s when spring had finally made it to our farm.
First thing that dad did when the rhubarb stalks had grown a bit was to cut an armful and dump it on the big kitchen table. “Time to make some rhubarb sauce,” he would say with a big grin on his face. I absolutely hated rhubarb sauce. My brothers didn’t like it either. But Pa was firm. “You’ve got to cleanse your system from winter,” he said. Whatever that meant.
So we ate rhubarb sauce. In case you might want to “cleanse your system from winter,” here’s my mother’s recipe.
Rhubarb Sauce
3-4 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup of water or less.
Put rhubarb pieces in a medium cooking pot. The sauce will bubble while cooking, so be sure your pot is big enough. Add the sugar and a bit of water to help the sauce start cooking. Start over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer as soon as it begins to bubble or boil. Keep uncovered and stir frequently so the sauce doesn’t stick to the pot. Let simmer until the rhubarb cooks down, about 25 minutes. Let cool, and then refrigerate.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: It is spring when rhubarb once more appears.
ANNOUNCEMENT: My “Telling Your Story” Writing Class at The Clearing in Door County is set for July 19, 9-4. Call 920-854-4880 if you are interested in attending. The class usually fills, so you may want to reserve a spot sooner than later.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
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May 9, 6:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library (Rescheduled because of weather), Wild Rose. Mid-Wisconsin launch of Civilian Conservation Corps in Wisconsin.
May 11, 2:00 p.m. Arcadia Bookstore, Spring Green. CCC story.
May 13, 6:30 Verona Library, CCC Story
May 14, 12:00 Noon, Sequoia Library, Madison. Simple Things
May 18, 10-2:00 Dregne’s, Westby, Book Signing.
June 1, 10:30-3:00, Speaking at 1:30. Stonefield Village, Cassville.
PURCHASING BOOKS AND DVDs:
Order your signed Apps books and DVDs from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org
Books for Thinking About Spring:
Old Farm Country Cookbook (With more rhubarb recipes)
Living a Country Year (Check writings about spring)
Garden Wisdom (Time to begin planning for the upcoming garden season)
Cold as Thunder (A look into the future)
The Civilian Conservation Corps in Wisconsin: Nature’s Army at Work. (Preorder, www.jerryapps.com)
Ringlingville USA (All about the Ringling Brothers Circus. Plan to summer trip to Circus World Museum, in Baraboo.
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