Pineapple Rhubarb Pie

When I was a little girl, I lived next door to my grandparents. My grandfather had huge vegetable gardens full of all the summertime yumminess you can handle. He grew everything from asparagus to zucchini. My favorites were his sugar snap peas and corn on the cob. He even had rhubarb, which my grandmother would bake into delicious pies. In our little hometown, she was known for her scrumptious desserts, including the pineapple rhubarb pie I’m sharing with you today.

Many people aren’t familiar with rhubarb. The best place to get it is a farmers’ market or roadside produce stand. Grocery stores also carry it in the spring when it’s in season. Rhubarb looks similar to celery, but its stalks are pink. Its large, green leaves are toxic so don’t eat them! Rhubarb is a vegetable, but is used more like a fruit in the kitchen. It’s high in fiber, calcium, and vitamin K. The taste is very tart, which is why rhubarb recipes include sugar or honey for sweetness. I recommend making rhubarb pie with pineapple or strawberries for a nice balance of sweet and tart flavors.

Pineapple Rhubarb Pie

• Pastry for 9-inch, 2-crust pie
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups rhubarb
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (You’ll need a 20-oz. can.)
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

Make pastry for two-crust pie. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut rhubarb into one-inch pieces. In a large bowl, mix sugar and flour. Stir in rhubarb and pineapple. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Cover with top crust and make several slits in the top. Seal and flute the edge. Cover edge with foil to avoid burning it.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.

For strawberry rhubarb pie: reduce rhubarb to 2 cups, omit the pineapple, and add 2 cups sliced strawberries.

If you have some chopped rhubarb left over, dip it in honey for a tasty little snack. Enjoy!