Tuesday, June 9, 2015

A Traditional Farm Life - Rhubarb Oat Dessert



A Traditional Farm Life


By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  A break in the rain earlier this week allowed our boys to finally till around the tomato, pepper, and okra plants in the garden.  This long overdue knock down of weeds was immediately followed by a thick covering of round-bale mulch.  Besides weed suppression, our hope is that with time the straw will provide organic matter to help loosen up our tight clay soil. 

While we’re on the subject of those green, unwelcome garden residents, Thursday morning I finally took the time to weed my fledgling asparagus row.  While some asparagus plants were already two feet tall, others were just appearing, and two of my twelve crowns still have shown no signs of life.  Even so, I am pleased with their auspicious beginnings.

The unplanted area of our garden still sports some very healthy weeds, but hopefully not for long.  That inch of rain we had Friday morning will keep the tiller out of the garden once again.

Friday’s fierce thunderstorm delivered unwelcome outcomes in the girl’s garden.  Their largest pumpkin vine was somehow broken off and blown several feet away.  The storm also knocked their first tomato right off the plant—a green, marble-sized specimen with the bloom still attached they had been watching very closely.

Turning to matters on the home-front, it’s well-known that being a wife and mother is often referred to as being a “balancing act.”  This I heartily agree with.  But what happens if you don’t have good balance?

A fall is certainly inevitable.

I’m certainly NOT a tightrope walker.  Balancing my roles as wife, mother, and restaurateur does not come easily.  Perceived success in one role often comes at the real expense of another. 

For the last four months my role as the “Mom” in our Mom and Pop business has predominated my life.  Getting a restaurant up and running is no easy challenge. With time we’ve settled into a routine, and my husband Michael is doing great with the day-to-day operations, freeing up some time for me around the lunch hour.

Now that Farmer’s Market season is upon us, the question of my role in our family’s Farmer’s Market booths has weighed heavily upon me and precipitated a time of reflection on how much is humanly possible for a busy mother.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed baking for the Farmer’s Market last year, it is now obvious I don’t have the time currently to devote to such an ambitious venture and still fulfill my obligations at home. 

This is bittersweet, as the letting go of something enjoyable can often be when duties elsewhere need tending to.  Even so, there is great joy in knowing I am doing what is right for our family.  After all, how can tidying up a cluttered, dirty house and folding truckloads of clean laundry be wrong?

This morning my oldest daughter was absorbed in the task of cutting up our most recent acquisition of rhubarb from the Farmer’s Market.  (Test kitchen tip:  kitchen shears work great for this laborious task.)  Our four-year-old daughter stood patiently by watching, knowing anything from the garden being cut up just had to be good to eat.  Her repeated requests for this unknown (to her) delicacy were consistently denied, but finally her big sister gave in to her pleading and handed her a small piece.  Her triumphant countenance quickly turned into a funny frown as the taste of sour rhubarb filled her mouth.  Would you believe it—she asked for more!

Shortly thereafter her other sister came into the kitchen.  “Try some rhubarb,” our four-year-old budding rhubarb enthusiast recommended.  “It makes me laugh!”

Dear friends, a cute out-of-the-mouths-of –babes story like this simply demands a rhubarb recipe.  My family groaned at the thought of another rhubarb experiment, but absolutely loved the finished product.  If your family generally frowns at rhubarb, this may be the recipe that finally makes them smile.  Who knows, they may even laugh! 

Rhubarb Oat Dessert
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
cold water to cover rhubarb
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ice cream, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts, baking soda, and salt.  Add the butter and mix with a fork until crumbly.  Press 3 cups into a 9x13” baking dish; set aside.
3.  Soak rhubarb in enough cold water to cover for 3 minutes; drain.
4.  In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Add 1/4 cup water and stir until smooth.  Add drained rhubarb and vanilla and bring to a rapid boil; reduce heat and cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until thickened.   Spoon over crust; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
5.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with ice cream if desired. Yield:  12 servings.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com

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