That is THE prettiest pie I have ever seen ! I love rhubarb. I grew up eating it in OH. When we were on Poland in 1989 we visited a home in late April . They were having a family birthday party. We were lucky to be invited. They served a sweetened rhubarb compote/drink in crystal glasses. It was the most refreshing and lovely drink I have ever had. It is made I think just like the stewed rhubarb but runnier...it did have small chunks. I wish I had some of your pie !! c

Yum. that's gorgeous. DH always requests rhubarb cream pie for his birthday so I'll make a similar recipe this weekend (mine's from the old red plaid BH&G), but I guarantee it won't be nearly as pretty.

Now you make me wish I'd have baked a rhubarb pie for Mother for Mother's Day. We're going out tonight for her favorite fish fry at the Eagles, LOL, it's "Frog Leg Friday"!

I'd rather have that pie, though, it would have made a perfect breakfast.

Annie

A beautiful pie. I adore stewed rhubarb and made some this afternoon . . . for dessert this evening! Good thing, perhaps, that I didn't read this post BEFORE I did it!

Martha

Looks delicious Ann. I usually make strawberry/rhubarb pie, it was my Mom's favorite. I've never made the lattice top for it but yours looks so good I'm going to try it.

Di

Am I the only one who noticed that you have fresh flowers to match the flower design on the plate?

Nice touch to display a well made pie.

dcarch

Am I the only one who noticed that you have fresh flowers to match the flower design on the plate?

Nice touch to display a well made pie.

dcarch

I love rhubarb almost any way it's served. Your pie looks yummy. I'm lazy, so I usually just make stewed rhubarb. But maybe I could gather enough energy to make a pie. I'm another one who likes just rhubarb -- no strawberries added.

I also like my rhubarb by itself best, but I won't turn down rhubarb pie with strawberries added either, yum.

I did notice the flowers that matched the design on the plate, but I really paid more attention to the stalk of rhubarb next to the pie in the top picture, it's so nicely dark red, some of mine just stays green. The leaves, of course, are toxic.

Annie

I love all things Rhubarb. I'll give your recipe a try this weekend.

My Iowa farm grandmother always called rhubarb 'pie plant' ... & would tell us kids to go pick some 'pie plant' stalks for her to bake a pie! My favorite too was groundcherry pie grandma made! Was labor intensive- as when the berries in the dry husk were ripe we kids would get down on hands & knees to pick each husk off the ground under all the plants, fill a bucket, take it back & remove the husk from EACH berry ... then wash the berries & take them to grandma to make the pie! Now groundcherries have become almost a weed in my garden.. as it seeds itself & comes up wild all over the garden like the dill weed! I have new elderberry bushes in flower & can't wait to try elderberry pie that grandma used to make too!

The old farm rhubarb had the huge green stalks & I have tried to grow some of the red variety (?Canada Red?) that cooks up red but the plants I have do not have the huge stalks of the green kind. Here in zone 7 & a high desert 5200 ft. elevation I guess it is not the ideal area for rhubarb but- like my beloved peonies- I just had to try & grow some! I now have 27 peony plants (old double varieties) but they lack the intense fragrance here in the desert air.

Vieja, I love your grandmother's name for rhubarb - "Pie Plant".

I wondered if anyone would notice the plate and the flowers.

I love that plate. It was a gift a few years back from Sherry (Sheshebop), and the flowers are from Clif's garden. He has a number of different Clematis plants, and this one cascades off the roof of his garden shed.

Wow, what a gorgeous pie!

I love rhubarb. I make a rhubarb-custard pie, with no top crust. Much as I love crusts, and I do, I make my version as it's quick and easy.

Rhubarb crisp and rhubarb muffins, and stewed rhubarb over vanilla ice cream are also rhubarb favourites.

My step-father called today to say his is ready and letting me have some, as he has lots. I refuse to buy it at farmer's markets etc, because it's practically a weed! I might have to this year though, as my other regular supplier sold their house. :(

Yes, my old family recipe is really a rhubarb custard pie .. one crust also! We never add anything else like strawberries, etc. .... just the 'pie plant'!

You pull them like I do? Was told by my grandmother never to cut the stalks off! Is yours the green stalks or the red (throughout) stalks that cook up red?

OH! I'm gettong hungry for rhubarb pie now!

Yes, I just pull them. I was taught the same thing. Never cut. I have access to both green and red. My neighbour planted red stalk rhubarb for me so I pick from both gardens.

~Ann

I just give them a tug at the base also. Ant cut off the leaves and leave it with the plant as mulch.
Just picked first rhubarb yesterday. Very early for us in the Catskill mtns. I have about thirty large plants and keep dividing...
I use it in sauces also. Especially in my bbq sauce. Great natural thickener. I make a rhubarb/blueberry pie and sneak chunks of dark chocolate around the crust edge for an end of pie treat. Husband loves it.
Beautiful pie latice top!
Have not planned a pie yet but will make a bbq sauce for the holiday weekend smoked chickens and brisket.

Sleevendog, I'm not a big bbq sauce fan, but I might like one with rhubarb. Will you share your recipe please.

You must have a lot of rhubarb if you have thirty plants. I have more than I can deal with from just three of my own and three of Clif's.

~Ann

Ann: am curious as you have both the red & green rhubarb: are the red rhubarb stalks as big as the green? The standard old green rhubarb back in Iowa had huge stalks but the red I've seen in the gardens here are much smaller so was curious? I don't know the name of the other red varieties but the one I have (small stalks!) is 'Canada Red' I believe & does cook up red but small stalks (may have to do where I live here in high desert @ 5200 ft. too!) . Some tell me to just add some red food coloring if I want red rhubarb sauce! ... but I think the red rhubarb variety has a different flavor.. & it is not just the color! This posting got me to getting out my rhubarb pie recipes.. think my grandma & mother's will be the one I try again first... single crust & 'custard' like ... AND nothing but rhubarb added!

Now I know there will be no more of McCormick smoke salt (sad!), I will cherish the few bottles I found & bought at Albertson's! Have you tried the 4 oz. bottles of 'Figaro Hickory Liquid Smoke'? (comes in different flavors of smoke also) & 'Claude's BB Meat Marinade'? Hope they are still available! When we do a brisket we add that to the 'turkey bag' in the oven & cook for several hours... turns out so tender & juicy & I like to take scissors then & shred it when it is done ,UMmm!

Vieja, I have some red and some green and the green has bigger stalks, but neither is as big as the old established row of rhubarb at Aunt Lulabelle's, it's been there for years, so maybe that's why it's so much bigger.

I went to pull mine today, I don't cut either, but it rained like crazy, I wasn't going out and getting soaked to pull the rhubarb, LOL, so it'll wait until tomorrow or later, when it stops raining.

Annie

I've seen and heard of people calling rhubarb "pie plant". I kind of like that name. It's accurate. So many people give names to things that approach stupid and it kind of bugs me but I like that.

My plant had great rhubarb but it was in the shade and died off apparently. I have to see if any of it is left. If it is, I'll move it. If not, maybe I can get some of the plant I gave to my neighbor. I haven't had rhubarb bread in years and I so enjoy that.

I grew up being told to PULL, not cut rhubarb and Buddha help us if we broke a stalk off and didn't pull the rest of that stalk! They believed it would kill off the plant (it'd smother). From what I've read that's a myth and I believe that it is since I have friends who have always cut the rhubarb, being told that they'd kill the plant if they pulled it out by the roots.

Here's a couple recipes I want to try. I had 2 or 3 other recipes for BBQ sauce but I can't find them now. They sounded great but I never got the chance to try it. The thing I like about these is they do not use ketchup so you avoid some unnecessary sugar and salt.

Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce
A slightly sweet barbecue sauce with a lot of tang. Great on grilled pork or chicken.
Safflower Oil - 2 Tble
Onion, diced - 1 cup
Rhubarb, chopped (½” pieces) - 4 cups
Light Brown Sugar - ¾ cup (lightly packed)
Tomato Paste - ½ cup
Bouquet Garnii - 2 bay leaves, 6 peppercorns, 1 dried chili, 2 cloves
Dijon Mustard - 2 Tble
Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Tble
Honey - 2 Tble
s+p - to taste
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sweat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it is translucent and soft. Watch it closely to make sure it does not brown.
Add the rhubarb, brown sugar and tomato paste and saute for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the bouquet garnii, and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until reduced and thick.
Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garnii, then stir in the dijon, vinegar and honey. Puree with an immersion blender or food mill until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust the seasonings.
Use as a baste for grilled pork or chicken. Serve extra sauce alongside for dipping. Keep leftovers, covered and in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
I use safflower oil, because I prefer to avoid GM oils like canola and soy.
I use a large tea ball to keep my bouquet garnii all together and in one place when I’m flavouring stocks and sauces. I found some extra-large tea balls at a market in Victoria’s Chinatown.
You can also use a square of cheesecloth or unfilled tea bags (also available in Chinatown)
A food mill fitted with the medium plate will produce a smoother sauce than an immersion blender.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s) Yield: approx 3 cups

Easy Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce
4 c. chopped rhubarb
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 c. water
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
3 Tb. Dijon mustard
2 Tb. cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2-1 tsp. hot pepper sauce or red chili flakes (or to taste)
Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring often (especially towards the end of cooking), until the rhubarb is tender.
Blend until smooth using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender or food processor to blend).
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze for longer storage.
Makes about 6 cups

Ann, your pie is beautiful, but unlike magazine pies, I bet it tasted great!

Vieja, I use a smoked sea salt made here in Maine. It looks like you can order it online. It is the perfect touch for BBQ or pizza.

I hope I have enough rhubarb for a pie this weekend. I love these recipes and am looking forward to trying some.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maine Sea Salt

To think, just a few years ago, the mere mention of rude Barb made me wince.
Today, I'd jump for joy if you could load up that beautiful pie in a slingshot and shoot it in my direction.

Sol

My rhubarb mother plant is near my garden that was once a working farm from the turn of the century. I started dividing it 20 yrs ago and gave away many corms. (corms? is that right?) I work in NYC so many co-workers do not have gardens...I just bring in bags of it weekly and always have takers.
This is sort of my basic recipe. I do not measure myself, but have needed to write this for friends. Mine is always different and always good. I just wing-it. I made my spice rub last week...also always different depending on what new spices i have collected. I made a full ball jar amount then split it in two, so that only one has brown sugar.
(some meats i don't like a sweet rub)
Hit Kalustyan's in Manhattan recently and have a big bag of urfa biber, a turkish smoked pepper flake. Not that spicy but a rich red, almost black.
Not decided on my meats for the weekend but making sauce this morning. It does freeze well. If my friends visit with children i will make my base sauce not so hot and take a laddle full out midway and may need to add more sweet for them. I'll end up with 3 bbq sauces at the end of it all. Re-heat in cast iron sauce pots right on the grill.

Rhubarb BBq Sauce

-on med/low heat w/ a bit of oil, add to heavy small stock pot,(i use a 3qrt enameled cast iron)...
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 or whole head of garlic, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
-saute above until onions transparent, aprox 20 min. then add...
2 cups chopped tomatoes(i use my fresh/frozen but a small can works)...simmer10-15min, then add...
2 cups stock(i always have a few pints of chic stock frozen)
1/2 bottle rich beer(optional-more stock is fine)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons spicy mustard
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
2 heaps spice rub(i make my own but chili powder is similar)
-simmer on low for 1-2 hours, take a shower, walk the pups... then add...
fist full cilantro w/stems chopped
juice of one lime
-turn off heat and rest 20 min
-puree in blender or stick immersion
-adjust spice/sweet to your taste
(i usually divide in two and make one hot and vinegary and one with a bit more sweet.)

I don't always use cilantro but i have it growing now. My husband likes it wet and vinegary with extra heat. ( Like many of the roadside smokehouses all through the South.) He fell asleep last night with a half consumed Dogfish IPA so i fridged it and put that in.
I like to make the basic sauces all the way to the end...rest in fridge and taste again and adjust. If i make a double batch i will have enough to carry us through 4th of july by freezing in qrt containers.

Smells so good. Making it now. Just made a single batch but will have plenty. I added an additional tbsp of smoked paprika and you could add a small can of tomato paste before the simmer. I've never used it but it would put it into the deeper red sauce color closer to bottled i suppose. Mine is neon orange as i'm using up some fresh turmeric i have not found a use for until now, haha.

I've been tasting as i go...before adding the spice rub seasoning it was a very nice savory soup!. I could see adding a few strawberries and blending for a slightly sweet but savory rhubarb/berry appetizer soup.

'annie 1992':
Yes, that old green rhubarb in grandma's 'pie plant' patch had the BIGGEST stalks (but then we kids back then were not so big either!). Seems I remember her saying that it should be divided & replanted once in a while... so maybe if not- it would have those huge stalks that were kinda 'stringy' at times?!

Vieja, yes my green rhubarb has much larger stalks than the red variety.

~Ann