One of the things about trying to eat seasonally is that I find myself gorging on whatever is in season because I know it won't last. This is a good news, bad news situation. On the bad news side, I am probably buying and eating more that I need. This spring, I have been buying oodles of strawberries at the market with the intention of baking with them, but they disappear from the refrigerator in a couple of days. So I haven't baked with those strawberries yet.
I really don't mind, though. The berries are sweet and delicious and I'm glad that the children appreciate that. When the season is over, they'll have bellies full of strawberries, sticky, pink fingers, and good memories. And we'll all be ready to move on to something else. Blueberries, maybe? That's the good news.
We've been mowing through the rhubarb, too. We have had lots of rhubarb streusel cake, and I have a stash of rhubarb-thyme compote in the refrigerator. Our latest project, though, was popsicles. This is a super simple project that the children helped make. We added a bit of mint and the combination is excellent -- the tart flavor of the rhubarb works nicely with the brightness of the mint. I didn't purée the mixture so the popsicles are loaded with chunks of fruit.
I couldn't resist helping myself to more rhubarb stalks at this week's market along with a few quarts of strawberries. I know what I want to make with the strawberries. But should I stick to an old favorite with the rhubarb or try something new? What would you make?
Happy Monday!
Second Helping: Radish Tartines
Rhubarb-Mint Popsicles
The mint and the rhubarb in the recipe as written create a popsicle with a lot of flavor. We liked them this way, but if you want to tone it down, add a bit more water and use less mint when you add it at the end.
Makes 5 popsicles
10 minutes preparation time
25 minutes cooking time
5 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons mint, minced and divided
1 cup water
Put the rhubarb, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of mint in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer with the pot covered until the rhubarb is meltingly soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining mint.
Let the mixture cool. Pour it into popsicle molds. If you don't have popsicle molds, you can use a standard Dixie cup. The mixture is thick enough that it will even hold a popsicle stick. Freeze until the popsicles are frozen solid.
I made a strawberry rhubarb crisp which was excellent so I highly recommend that, and I have, as I type this, strawberry ice cream churning in the ice cream maker!!
Posted by: Jamie | May 24, 2010 at 04:59 PM