Rhubarb now plentiful and cheap

Once upon a time, most things had a season. This was in my lifetime, actually, hard as it may be to imagine.

When I was growing up on a farm in Missouri, we waited impatiently for the first "pie plant," my grandmother's name for rhubarb, the first asparagus, the first strawberries. Nowadays, strawberries and asparagus come from California and even other countries and are available in the dead of winter.

Rhubarb, known since at least 2700 BC in China, is still mostly a local treat, though you may find it frozen in winter if you look hard. Historically, it was regarded as something of a spring tonic and, in quantity, even a purgative.

Right now, while it is plentiful and cheap at farm stands, it is easy as (rhubarb) pie to buy extra and freeze it yourself for making pie in winter. Just rinse, pat dry, cut into pieces about an inch long, and package, tightly wrapped. It doesn't require blanching.

Many people claim to hate rhubarb, but I think it is because they have never tasted it properly sweetened. Many cooks combine rhubarb with strawberries, the better to disguise it.

Far be it from me to reject the combination of rhubarb and strawberries, a proverbial marriage made in heaven. I also crave the startling tartness of rhubarb by itself, sweetened just enough. (It's at the top of my list of favorite pies, too.) I'm partial to it simply stewed or baked and then chilled, with plain, thick Greek yogurt.

An old-fashioned rhubarb "fool," which is nothing more than the stewed rhubarb folded into homemade whipped cream, is a luxurious treat, too.

A dash of vanilla is not amiss in rhubarb, but I don't see the point of nutmeg, which some recipes call for.

A few small cautionary notes: Don't confuse rhubarb with Swiss chard, which can look a little similar but has much more slender stalks. Don't eat rhubarb raw. And don't eat the leaves, which are poisonous, either raw or cooked.

RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY TART

This jewel-lovely springtime classic is from "American Food: The Gastronomic Story" by Evan Jones, first published in 1975 by E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc.

1/2 cup currant or other red jelly

1 (10-inch) pre-baked pie shell

2 pounds rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries

For garnish:

1 cup whipped cream flavored with 1 teaspoon sugar and, if desired, 1 to 2 tablespoons strawberry or other liqueur

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt currant jelly and brush bottom of baked pie crust with some of it, reserving the rest.

2. Cut rhubarb into large chunks and place in a casserole. Mix together 1 cup sugar and the cornstarch and sprinkle over the rhubarb. Cover casserole and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until fruit is soft but not mushy.

3. Remove rhubarb with a slotted spoon and place in cooled pie shell. Add rhubarb juice to remaining currant jelly in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it forms a thick syrup. This will happen quickly, so watch carefully.

4. Remove stems and halve strawberries. Arrange them, rounded side up, over rhubarb. Brush berries generously with the syrup, letting it penetrate to rhubarb beneath. Let tart cool, but do not refrigerate for best flavor. Serve with whipped cream spooned over or piped through a pastry tube. Makes 8 to 10 servings.