Food Friday: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp!

 One of the joys of springtime in Vermont was the pushing through the ground of wonderful rhubarb stalks.  We had plenty of rhubarb and used it for rhubarb crisp, rhubarb pie, rhubarb sauce, even rhubarb juice though that entailed even more sugar than the crisp. Plus ginger ale.

Since we moved here to a place with a little land around our house I have been looking for rhubarb to plant.  Last week I found some beautiful fat red rhubarb stalks at my favorite farmers' market stand.  I pulled out a bunch and put them in my bag. I was SO EXCITED to see them there on the counter and  I asked if the farmer had grown them.  Nope!  They came from Oregon.  Can you believe it?!!  Upon further discussion I learned that you absolutely cannot grow rhubarb here in South Carolina, that is too hot, and that even the winters are wrong for success with rhubarb.  That is NOT what I hoped to hear when I saw that lovely pile of rhubarb.

Well, we did buy rhubarb but we also got a big basket of strawberries.  Those strawberries really taste like strawberries should taste. I think I will stop buying strawberries any other time of the year.  Unless maybe I am going to dip them in chocolate, but even then, the strawberries need to taste good, not just be a vehicle for chocolate...probably.

Anyway, strawberry rhubarb crisp as I made it.

3 stalks rhubarb, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups of sliced strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix these together and place in a casserole dish.  Ours is about 6 inches by 8 inches and about 2 inches deep.

In another bowl mix well:

1 cup dry old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup very soft butter
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

Put this mixture on top of the sugared fruit.  Bake at 350 degrees from 30-40 minutes until there are pretty bubbles showing around all the edges of the pan and a knife stuck in the middles shows that the fruit is all soft and cooked.

We really enjoyed this as is but if you are eating it hot out of the oven, a scoop of vanilla ice cream goes down pretty well.

When I asked Dear One how he liked it, he said, "Too many walnuts." I took issue with that and he said, "You asked for my opinion."  Well, yes, I did.  Having said that, I do like the opinion to be positive...!

Even after too many walnuts,  I ate one bowl-full and he ate seven...could not have been too bad, I think.