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<\/a>There’s nothing better than rhubarb in the spring.\u00a0 I love going to the garden and checking up on its progress.\u00a0 They start out from little clumps (that look like pink and green brains), then the leaves\u00a0unfold\u00a0and\u00a0as it grows its edible magenta and yellow-green stalks.\u00a0 Have you ever wondered what a growing rhubarb plant sound like?\u00a0 Check out this bebop-a-rebop<\/em><\/a> post by Keith.<\/p>\n Magenta Beauties<\/em><\/p>\n I love pulling out the stalks, cutting off the leaf, splitting the stalk in half and then smelling it’s strawberry, lemony, and vegetal\u00a0perfume.\u00a0 Sometimes, when the mood hits me, I’ll take a little bite and enjoy its delicious tartness right there in the garden.\u00a0 A much better way to enjoy them however is in a hot and bubbling crisp.\u00a0 Rhubarb goes really well with strawberries.\u00a0 I had some frozen that I picked at Bures Berry\u00a0Patch<\/a> last June.\u00a0 I even had some yellow raspberries I bought from Kathy at the end of summer.\u00a0 So I tossed everything together with some sugar and heated it lightly with a vanilla bean and Meyer lemon syrup I made this winter (with lemons from my friend Dunja in Florida).<\/p>\n RECIPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Fruit Mixture<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n Cut up everything so they are roughly the same size pieces.\u00a0Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds out with the back of a knife then add into the fruit mix along with the peel.\u00a0 Heat gently with the sugar for about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n A Glorious Mix<\/em><\/p>\n After heating lightly to marry the flavors, prepare the crumble topping and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.\u00a0 I used my trusted American Cookery Book <\/em>by James Beard for inspiration.<\/p>\n Crisp or Crumb Topping<\/strong><\/p>\n RECIPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/p>\n Cut up the butter into cubes then work in the rest of the dry ingredients with your hands.\u00a0 The goal is to get a lot of different size pieces then top the fruit mixture with it.\u00a0 I fished out the vanilla bean pods and sliced some rhubarb to decorate the top.<\/p>\n If possible, use a gorgeous vessel to bake your treat\u00a0like this coin-edged piece from Windy Ridge Pottery<\/a> (a gift from cousin Laura & her husband Michael).\u00a0 Bake for about 40 minutes until bubbly and the crust is a golden brown.\u00a0 Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.\u00a0 Can you wait that long?\u00a0 If you cannot, serve right away\u00a0in little bowls with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cool it down.<\/p>\n The Scent of Rhubarb, Strawberries, Yellow Raspberries, Vanilla Bean, Lemon, & Butter<\/em><\/p>\n![\"rhubarbstalks\"](\"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/rhubarbstalks.jpg\")
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