Local Delicious

I had a spirited discussion last night about which exactly is the best way to cook a rhubarb crumble — and just what is the difference between a crisp and a crumble.

We also dropped a gauntlet re: whose recipe is better.

A crisp and a crumble, it turns out, are the same thing but which term you use depends on whether you favour the American or UK terminology. True to my Canadian roots, I favour the latter. (Also note the spelling of “favour”, people).

Below is my current favourite recipe for rhubarb crumble. I like to increase the amount of fruit or decrease the amount of sugar, or even a little of both, for a slightly more tart flavour.

I also demand that only real ice cream be used in the dolloping of this dessert. Anything else, like “frozen dessert” or “whipped topping”  is likely a petroleum byproduct and not real food (check your labels, people!).

Rhubarb Crumble

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup quick cooking rolled oats
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

[Note: you can use slightly more fruit and/or a little less sugar with equally good results]

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.
In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.

Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. [Note: I usually cook it ahead, then heat it up when company’s on it's way. It caramelizes the sugar nicely and makes it slightly gooey.]

Bon appetit!

Related post: Rhubarb: Fruit or Vegetable?

I made 2 pans of rhubarb crumble last night with a fraction of the rhubarb I have growing in my garden plot. I thought it took a year or two for rhubarb to really take hold, but I grew this plant from seed last year and even transplanted it a few months into the summer due to a gardening relocation.

For a while earlier this summer it was looking pretty limp and none of the stalks were any more than about 6″ long. I asked my mom,  a long time gardener, if that was because it takes a couple of years for the plant to really take root, but she didn’t know. Well, turns out as soon as I stepped up the amount of water it got, the plant took off like blazes. I harvested 10 cups worth of diced rhubarb earlier this week and that only marginally thinned out the plant.

Note: Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. Keep the kids away and don’t put them (the rhubarb leaves nor the children) in the compost bin.

I took one rhubarb crumble over to a friend’s to share with her and her family. Her daughter’s friend from California had never heard of rhubarb and was leery of trying it, even though it was dessert. We described it — something like celery but very tart — but when asked whether it was a fruit or a vegetable we were stumped.

I got an email this morning with the answer:

“It was nice catching up with you last night Liz. I looked up rhubarb on Wikipedia. Here is what it says:

Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae.

They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular shaped with long fleshy petioles. They have small flowers grouped in large compound leafy greenish-white to rose-redinflorescences.

Although the leaves are toxic, various parts of the plants have medicinal uses. Fresh raw stalks are crisp (similar to celery) with a strong tart taste; most commonly the plant’s stalks are cooked and used in pies and other foods for their tart flavour. A number of varieties have been domesticated for human consumption, most of which are recognised as Rheum x hybridum by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Rhubarb is botanically classified as a vegetable; however, in the United States a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction in taxes paid.

Thank heavens for Wikipedia, to answer all of life’s burning questions.

It’s been sunny and hot for the last number of weeks and I for one have no complaints. Summer was late arriving this year and as far as I’m concerned it can continue to make up for lost time as long as it wants, even if that means hauling a little more water to the garden than usual.

If you’re are one of those who’s feeling a bit grumpy in the heat, first I recommend visualizing one of two things:

1. Toronto, Ontario in the sweltering, cloying, humid heat that signals summer there; or
2. Vancouver this past June when we experienced record temperature lows and endless, driving rain.

Second, while you are visualizing also remember that in the midst of this delicious heat it is very important to stay hydrated. If water seems a little boring after a while (why, yes, actually it does), try these quick, easy ideas:

Watermelon Agua Fresca – Take some overripe watermelon that’s too  mushy to eat, mashed in a pitcher, and covered with ice cold water. Add a few ice cubes to a glass, and pour in the watermelon-enhanced water. Sip to your heart’s content. Works best if your pitcher has a strainer or just strain out the pulp ahead of time.

They’d charge big bucks for this at a chic restaurant, and here you are whipping up a batch for nothing — since you were going to compost that overripe watermelon anyway. There are no perfect proportions, everyone likes it a little different, so experiment with what works for you. If you really MUST get all complicated, find an easy recipe and knock yourself out.

Ginless G&T – As delicious as it can be, alcohol is dehydrating and not recommended when attempting to counter the effects of too much sun and/or heat. You will be surprisingly and delightfully deceived into believing you are drinking a “refreshing” gin and tonic if you simply leave out the gin and squeeze in the lime . One of my friends swears she still feels a little light-headed when she drinks this, as if she did  include the gin. I say, try it on your friends when they’re getting too drunk and obnoxious, they’ll never know the difference.

Cucumber Agua Fresca – If  you’re not a fan of watermelon (see above), substitute it with peeled, sliced cucumber fresh from your garden. It’s just as cool and refreshing to sip, you’ll feel like you’re at a swanky spa,  and there’s less straining involved. Plus, you can keep refilling the jug all day long until the cucumbers no longer infuse the water. For those who need to get all Martha Stewart on us, you can experiment with adding mint or citrus slices as well.

There’s no excuse to be a dullard when it comes to staying hydrated. Try these tasty options and take it up a notch without breaking a sweat.

Ouch! I was stung by a wasp. Or a hornet or some other such mean-spirited buzzer. I was just walking along in the garden, on my way over to water the tomatoes when I felt a sharp, jab in my foot. I swear I jumped a foot off the ground as I yelped in surprise.

I could find no sign of a stinger, that’s why I’m certain it was not a bee.

I’ve never been stung before in my life and I had NO idea it would hurt this bad. Seriously, it freakin’ hurts! I’m not a pansy when it comes to pain, I can suck it up like the best of them, but that was totally uncalled for.

Hmmm, I hope I’m not allergic. I wonder how you know you’re going into anaphylactic shock? If I don’t quite…get…this…post…finished…

Kidding! I’m fine.  After a day of throbbing , jabbing pain in the front half of my left foot all is well.  (No, I’m not being a drama queen. If I were, I’d tell you my whole foot hurt.) All that remains of the incident is a red pin prick on the outside of my big toe. How I managed to disrupt the business end of a wasp in mid stride amazes me.

The other thing that amazes me is how long that dang thing hurt! When I was a kid a mosquito bite was a mosquito bite, but even those now turn into big welts that itch for days. Either those guys are getting hardier or I’m getting less so.

BTW, while researching the odds of my impending death as a result of the unfortunate incident, I came across this first aid treatment for bee and wasp stings. It may be worth your while to take note.

I’m sitting here stunned upon reading in this week’s WestEnder that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has targeted a local micro-retailer and seized $20,000 worth of goods because the food doesn’t meet their French labeling standards. A few weeks back Home Grow-In was targeted by the agency whose two inspectors spent 6 hours combing through the store’s inventory.

There is so much wrong with this picture (additional coverage), I’m not sure where to begin:

1. Let me get this straight. Is it now retailers’ responsibility to be up-to-date on all CFIA labeling criteria when selecting from thousands of products they might carry in their stores? Funny, I thought it was the CFIA’s job to ensure producers met food safety labeling criteria.
2. Officially, the focus of the investigation isn’t the store, it’s the producers. Hmmm, that’s odd. Then why did the inspectors not stop by the producer’s facilities instead of nailing one of many small, local retailers and seizing goods the retailer already paid for but now cannot sell?
3. Wow, way to slam small business and cut if off at the knees. A loss like that can kill a business where cash flow is critical. Not only does the business suffer, so do the employees and their families when they can’t get paid. Great ripple effect if you want more people and businesses in financial dire straits.
4. Oh, and the producers of the pulled products?  Many are registered with the CFIA and believed their labels met all requirements — they also haven’t been contacted by the CFIA since the raid to let them know otherwise.
5. Funnily enough, imported goods on shelves all over the city which are also not bilingually labeled are not generating investigations of such fervor.
6. Then there’s the selective enforcement. What about the chain grocery stores down the street where the exact same non-bilingually labeled products are also sold? Why have they not been investigated?

Want to take some tangible action? Put your money where your mouth is and support local micro food producers and the retailers who provide a critical link in helping ensure quality local products are readily available to consumers.

As for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, they are here for our protection, and we need and want them to do a good job. It’s just a good idea to ensure they are playing by rules that are as fair for the little guy as they are for the big guys.

Whoa Nellie! Only 2 weeks left…

You have a mere 2 weeks to submit your best farming/gardening photos in the Home Grown! Photo Contest hosted by FarmFolk/CityFolk Society and the Museum of Vancouver. Your entry gives you a chance to win the grand prize of $500 worth of BC Farmers Markets products, your photo included in the upcoming Home Grown! art exhibition, as well as tickets to the Opening Party.

The Home Grown! exhibition opens August 26, 2010 and  features international award-winning photographer Brian Harris. (Thankfully, you won’t be competing with him. Instead, contest winning photos will be judged separately and may be exhibited alongside his.)

For the past 3 years  Brian Harris has focused his camera on local sustainable farming and Vancouver’s urban agriculture scene. The 40 images on display at the Home Grown! exhibition  will portray local farms, farmers and urban growers with Brian’s characteristic hopeful and intimate cultural style of portraiture.

Learn more about the contest, check out the photos submitted thus far (not many so you still have a chance!) and enter today. Then be sure to attend the Home Grown! exhibition and be inspired by what many local farmers, urban growers and locavores are doing to return our society to a more sustainable and healthy relationship with our earth and food.