To feel the cycle of the seasons in the foods we eat is one of the many delights I feel from eating locally. But to my kids, if its at the coop it must be good. It can be hard to explain why I won't buy a watermelon in April. And I don't want to burden
them with any heavy thoughts on our industrialized food system –
organic or not so I just quietly explain that we'll eat watermelons when they are ripe in the garden or when they arrive in our CSA share. They don't totally get it.
But strawberries and rhubarb… we all understand the precious treasure of this fleeting season.
Yesterday the kids and I made an amazing batch of homemade ice cream. Looking back it was all fresh, local goodness in there. Cream, milk, eggs, strawberries, and rhubarb from nearby farms. Maple from a friend down the road. We cranked the ice cream on a blanket in the yard. If was so easy, and so wonderful.
Simple goodness, I think. Simple, local, sustainable goodness.
If you're looking for a recipe I posted a stellar one here last year. The only substantial change I made this year was to throw in the sliced fresh strawberries. Happy churning!
Oh, I have picked strawberries the other day and I have rhubarb growing in my yard. I definitely need to break in my new ice cream maker with this recipe! It sounds delish. 🙂
Yum!! That sounds like the best ice cream ever!!
Rhubarb is so diverse. I love it.
I’ve never even thought of rhubarb icecream…but now that I’ve read this post, I don’t know if I’ll be able to think of anything else until I try some myself! I think that as soon as my little guy’s up from his nap, we’ll be heading out to the farmstand to see if they have any rhubarb!
Emily,
Youll love it! Let me know how it turns out.
And for those without an ice cream maker, I find these so often at the thrift store. If you dont find one there, just pour it into a glass jar and freeze. Then shake every 15 minutes until it is ice cream.
~ Rachel
Cassandra,
A friend who ate it last spring said just that. This is the best ice cream Ive ever had in my entire life. Thats a fine compliment…
🙂
Rachel
Jodi,
You might love this too…
http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2009/06/rhubarb-hand-pies.html
~Rachel
Crystal,
Let me know how it turns out. And you can store the leftovers in your new stainless steel box. 🙂
~ Rachel
Yum! We make lots of homemade ice cream here too — love that we can get SO many local amazing awesome ingredients, some from only 4′ out the door. We have been making cow milk and goats milk ice cream this week. Strawberry, rhubarb, honey, maple…we make one big custard base (I like w/o eggs too, but the rich flavor they give is so nice) and then make smaller batches with different flavors so we can all have our favorites. Yum. Can’t wait for the currants and raspberries…oooooh.
Denise,
I love the idea of making a base and then modifying with different flavors. We recently tried some with coconut milk as well. Super good. We do allot of raw-custard bases with farm-fresh eggs and raw milk. So delicious…
Rachel
Never made an ice cream before. I don’t have any idea how. Congratulation to you and to your kids in creating such a deliciously looking and delightful ice cream.
– Tera
Sounds quite refreshing. Something I’ve never heard of before. We’re also in rhubarb land at our house, from our CSA and a friend. We’re doing crumble, mousse and want to try rhubarb soda too.
YUM–nothing better than eating foods that are in the blossom of their LIVING–our bodies know it, our souls gain much for it and our families are certainly wholly wiser because of it. Makes me think about “Full Moon Feast” and how beautifully Jessica Prentice weaves the web of seasons, history, food and connection. The rhythms of seasons and local fare– so full of GIFTS–the gifts that just keep on giving. And ice cream just celebrates that so darn well!! Thanks for all the yummy recipes/integral story notes Rachel and keep the meal plans coming! Sharing the intention of food is almost as good as sharing the actual meal. And btw Rachel found out our fabulous CSA farmers were a couple depicted in Radical Homemakers–made me SMILE. Great book, eh?
Tera,
It is amazingly easy! Recommended is an ice cream maker (or churn) but there are often found second hand for cheap. You can also use a fork and a freezer container or jar and just stir and scrape (or shake) every fifteen minutes. So good!
~ Rachel
Emmy,
Rhubarb soda is lovely. So are there rhubarb hand pies. Great for wee hands!
http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2009/06/rhubarb-hand-pies.html
xo Rachel
Tish,
Such a great book. And what fun to find your farmers in there. (A little secret: well be hosting a giveaway for a copy of Radical Homemakers in the coming weeks!) I need to get my hands on Full Moon Feast. Sounds awesome. Thanks for the tip and the sweet feedback!
~ Rachel