Freshly picked rhubarb is one of the first signs of spring. Though it’s widely known as a fruit, this tart garden variety is a vegetable. Despite this vegetable status, rhubarb is most commonly used in recipes as a fruit—cookies, cakes, cobblers and crisps. In fact, it’s often called the pie plant. If it’s not yet up in your area, you can usually find frozen rhubarb at the grocery store.

We highly recommend Thelma’s recipe below:

Rhubarb Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pie dough or your favorite prepared 9″ double pie crusts
1¼ cups white sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 tbsp butter
4 cups chopped rhubarb*

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In large bowl, toss rhubarb with sugar, salt and flour. Pour the mixture into pie shell and dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with top crust and pinch edges. Brush dough with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Let cool and top with vanilla ice cream if you wish.

*If fresh, trim ends and cut lengthwise into ¾” pieces. Remember—only the rhubarb stalk is edible. Be sure to trim the roots and leaves completely, as they are poisonous to humans.