If you have imported oranges or other citrus fruit sitting in your refrigerator or on your kitchen counter right now, please read on: this post is for you! You do not have to get Vitamin C from fruits coming out of Latin America. Though they seem to be currently out-of-favor and perhaps old-fashioned, fruits like rhubarb, currants and gooseberries are excellent sources of Vitamin C. Fortunately you can grow them easily in your own backyard. Starting a rhubarb patch and planting a couple of berry bushes will help reduce your dependence on the grocery store and help you to eat locally. Admittedly, rhubarb, gooseberries and currants are so tart that you will be hard-pressed to eat them without the addition of a fair amount of sugar or other sweeteners…
At this time of year most home-gardeners are swimming in rhubarb. You do not need any special gardening skills to grow rhubarb, it pretty much grows like a weed once you get it started. One of my favorite ways to use it is in muffins. We put a batch or two in the freezer and heat up a couple at a time to have with afternoon coffee.
Here’s my tried-and-true rhubarb muffin recipe:
Rhubarb Muffins
2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup sour cream
½ cup water
1½ cups rhubarb
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3 Tbsp white sugar
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. In separate bowl, mix brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, sour cream and water well. Add in dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Do not over-stir or your muffins will be tough. Spoon into a greased, floured muffin tin. Top with a sprinkle of white sugar and press it in with a spoon just a bit. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Makes 24.
