Faith's Rhubarb Pie
from The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book, wartime edition, © 1938 -1942, modified

Rhubarb is a perennial plant grown in cooler climates. It has been around for several hundred years, and is sometimes called "pie plant". The stems are the edible part; the leaves are poisonous. It comes up early in the spring from a crown of thick roots, grows quickly, and dies back late in the fall. Rhubarb is picked only in the spring and early summer when it is most juicy and the stems are hard and crisp. Later the leaves turn yellow and the stems become soft and it is no longer satisfactory for eating.

Rhubarb Pie is one of the delights of spring. Some people like to add strawberries to their pie, which are in season at the same time. My grandmother had rhubarb plants and I grew up eating rhubarb and love it. Perhaps because there is some nostalgia attached to it, but I perfer my rhubarb pie without the strawberries.

If you don't have quite enough rhubarb for a pie, here is a great recipe for a Rustic Rhubarb Tart.

3 T. flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1" pieces (7 - 8 stalks; 1 1/2 pound)
Dough for Two-Crust Pie
Milk, for brushing top crust
Sugar, for sprinkling on top crust
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Mix the flour and sugar together and add the beaten egg. Beat the mixture until well mixed. Add the prepared rhubarb. Let stand 20 - 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sugar draws some of the juices out of the rhubarb.

Pour rhubarb mixture into the bottom pie crust and top with top crust (or strips of crust to form a lattice). Seal, forming a fluted edge. Cut 6 slits in the top to let out steam. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake at 425° F. for 10 min.
Bake at 350° F. for another 35 min. until the rhubarb is bubbling out the slits in the crust.

Good served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.