Do you know if rhubarb is a vegetable or a fruit?
Technically, rhubarb is a vegetable. But rhubarb is used in desserts so much that it seems like it should be a fruit. This is the reverse quandary of the tomato, which is technically a fruit, but is used as a vegetable. Sometimes the world of food is just plain confusing!
Whether rhubarb is a vegetable or a fruit is immaterial to this rhubarb crumble, which is just plain tasty! I used freshly cut rhubarb from my garden, but most supermarkets carry rhubarb when it is in season.
The vegetable-or-fruit quandary of rhubarb reminded me of one of my favorite jazz tunes, “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t (My Baby)” sung by Dinah Washington. Take a listen and enjoy the tangy flavor of rhubarb!
Ingredients
- 6 cups rhubarb
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Zest from small navel orange
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cold butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl combine granulated sugar, ¼ cup flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Add to rhubarb. Toss to coat.
- Dump into 9”x13” baking dish.
- Sprinkle orange zest over the top of the rhubarb.
- In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and flour.
- Cut butter into 8 pieces. Add to brown sugar mixture. Very quickly (so your hands to not melt the butter), blend the butter into the brown sugar mixture leaving small butter pieces.
- Spread topping over the rhubarb mixture.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and crumble topping is a bit crunchy.
