The rhubarb is ready and waiting to be picked, later this year than last year. My husband told me that I could bake rhubarb custard pie every day as he never gets his fill of it. Rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable, but in the US we use it as a fruit. The plant grows from rhizomes and it typically harvested from mid to late spring, however it can be picked all summer if it is picked regularly. I used to pick it and throw it away to keep the stalks tender for use all summer. When we were kids, my sisters and I would pick a stalk of rhubarb and dip it in sugar and eat it raw. The roots have been used as a laxative for over 5,000 years.

Today’s recipe came from a reader via email; it is one that her mother used to make and I thank her for sending this to me. This is so easy to make and it is done right in the pan, so there is no clean up.

I would appreciate some good recipes from the readers.

Rhubarb Dump Cake

4 or 5 Cups of Rhubarb

1 Cup sugar

1 3 ounce package of strawberry gelatin

1 White cake mix (2 layer size)

1 1/4 Cups water

1/2 Cup melted margarine or butter

Put ingredients in 9 x 13 pan in layers in the order that is given; do not mix. Bake 350 degrees for about an hour. Delicious served warm with ice cream.

Questions or comments:

marlisz@aol.com