A Rhubarb Tale by Rita Cevaal

Almost 30 years ago we moved from a charming adorable home to a house across the street with “potential” for the future.  It was a brown house, hidden by overgrown evergreens, smaller than our current home, but had a third bedroom that we needed for our family of 5, eventually becoming 6.

In November we walked all our belongings, one toddler and two babies across the street and into that brown house.  I wasn’t sure about all the “potential” or even about the house itself.

That winter we snuggled in our home and we lived without the amenities we had grown accustomed to. (The lack of air conditioning was probably the hardest adjustment, but we wouldn’t know that until summer!)  We cleaned and painted and made it our own.  We stayed warm and cozy all winter long, loving and appreciating the gentle warmth of radiator heat.

 Then came spring. I may not have loved this house at first, but the back yard- I LOVED it in all it’s blooming glory.  First came the snowdrops. The crocus, hellebores, trillium, and daffodils following soon after.  The backyard blooming continued until fall.  The rhubarb came with the lilacs and the peonies.  I was so excited to see the rhubarb.  The rhubarb came with all the potential.  What to make first?  A traditional strawberry-rhubarb pie or maybe something more adventurous?

Rhubarb to me is old fashioned. I believe it’s a Midwestern thing.  I nurtured and tended to my plant.  I protected it and finally moved it to the front yard.  It has a history with this house.  Those that lived here before us probably ate from that plant and shared it with their neighbors.

My family looks forward to eating rhubarb squares every summer (see recipe below).  I would share photos of them but sadly they were devoured before I was able to take that Instagram worthy photo.  This year I also made a Rhubarb liqueur and a Rhubarb Rosemary Jam to share at Christmas.  I love to preserve a bit of summer to give in winter.  Part remembrance of last summer and part anticipation of warmer weather to come.

We moved to this brown house for what it held for our future.  The move-in condition may not have felt perfect or ideal.  We lived a little crowded and limited for a few years.  Every spring the backyard unleashed it’s beauty and we enjoyed it.  The home now has more space, lots of love and memories, and air conditioning!  The yard continues to provide beauty, joy, and a bit of food for us and all the wildlife passing through. 

It may feel like right now we have all moved into the small brown house-it’s crowded, lacking amenities, and we’re not sure we like it. But oh when spring arrives, I look forward to the bounty of beauty that awaits us!