Springtime in Vermont is Rhubarb Pie Time

Rhubarb in a custard filling, makes for springtime perfection from a Vermont kitchen.
By Carol Egbert

An unattended spring garden in Vermont is full of surprises, mostly weedy ones. We returned from Italy and found that the comfrey, a perennial wild herb, whose leaves are said to cure athlete’s foot when tucked between toes and taped in place, was nearly three-feet tall and about to overwhelm the peonies. Lush, tall grass had moved into what were beds of flowers. The good news is that the rhubarb was thriving.

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The tall rhubarb flowers led me to it and I harvested the rhubarb, removed the leaves and put the trimmed stalks into plastic bags and stored it in the fridge. I had enough to make four rhubarb treats in less than a week. First, I made a rhubarb custard pie with a recipe from a friend’s grandmother, then rhubarb syrup, followed by a rhubarb crumb cake seasoned with cardamom and topped with whipped cream to share with friends, and used the last of my first harvest to make baked rhubarb to add to a salad. It was my friend Cathy who generously served me my first piece of this pie. Here’s how I made it: