RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING: Rhubarb is a staple of spring in most Amish gardens, being one of the first items to unfurl under the warm rays of a late winter/early spring sun. Â Rhubarb is a very versatile vegetable (most consider it a vegetable) that can be used in dozens of different ways and that makes it quite appealing to the average Amish homemaker. Â Rhubarb grows well in many places. Â This is a photo of a rhubarb patch that John in Puyallup, Washington shared with me. Â Doesn't this look like wonderful rhubarb?This is cultivated in raised beds, many Amish just sort of let it "run wild" in haphazard patches, although others cultivate it more methodically. There are many wonderful ways to prepare rhubarb. Â If you like bread pudding and rhubarb, you can "marry" the two with this wonderful recipe from an Amish woman in Kentucky.
RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING
4 slices dry white bread, cubed small
¼ c. melted butter
1 ½ lbs. rhubarb, chopped
â…” c. brown sugar
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Toss bread cubes with butter. Put ⅓ into greased shallow baking dish. Cover with ½ of the rhubarb and ½ the other ingredients. Repeat; top with remaining bread cubes. Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees until rhubarb is cooked and top is crisp and brown. Serve with cream.
Heather
I'm not a fan of rhubarb, but, just the idea of growing veggies, the smell of the sweet fresh soil is inspiring me to get out there this weekend and start planting more. The thought that John is from Puyallup didn't hurt any either. Howdy fellow Puyallupian!
John from Puyallup
My father would be proud to see his rhubarb from the Pennsylvania Lehigh Valley area still growing in Puyallup. He sent me the roots in 1981 and passed on in 1984 - the rhubarb is comforting to me as I see it grow each year.