Farm to Table Rhubarb Muffins

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I gotta tell you, I am loving all of this great sunshine we’ve been having! Along with the frequent down-bursts of rain, my garden has also been really loving it, and doing well so far. One of the first fruits – or should I say vegetables – of my labor in the garden are my rhubarb plants. I have three of them planted along the back-end of the garden and each year they come back fuller and more plentiful.

I usually get some good-looking stalks going by the beginning-middle of June, and after I’ve cut a bunch, if I’m lucky, I’ll get another good harvest in before the end of the summer as well. What I don’t use up, I freeze and can use throughout the fall and winter.

Even though my favorite thing to make is a rhubarb pie using these crisp, red stalks, I wanted to try something different this time and make a batch of muffins instead. Anytime you pair the tart crunch with the sweetness of sugar, you’re in store for some deliciousness!

If you’re lucky enough to have your own rhubarb patch, start by going out and pulling a bowl full of stalks. You can chop off the leafy green ends and place them under the existing plants for some natural compost.

Then into the sink for a good rinse and chop them up into bite sized pieces. Love that beautiful red color!

This recipe was one I found in All Recipes Magazine. It had a 5 out of 5 stars in the reviews and after making them, I now know why! Two dozen muffins did not last long among hungry tummies here at our house.

Start by mixing up your dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.

Then in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients until smooth – egg, oil, brown sugar, vanilla and buttermilk. *Note: since most people don’t typically have buttermilk lying around in their fridge, there is a simple way to make it at home. Just take a cup of regular milk and add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using. Voila! You’ve got buttermilk!

Once you’ve mixed all the dry & wet ingredients separately, you are ready to put them together. I like to add my dry ingredients slowly a cup at a time into my wet mixture, giving everything time to fully combine.

After everything’s mixed you should end up with a batter looking like this.

Then you are ready to add the rhubarb! If you want, you could also add chopped walnuts. We went nut-free on this recipe.

I had a really good helper for this recipe. Actually I started with 3 really good helpers, 2 lost interest, and I was left with my littlest who loves to cook. He’s got future Food Network star written all over his face!

The best way I’ve found to evenly distribute the batter for cupcakes or muffins into the pan is using a good old-fashioned ice cream scoop – I like the ones that have the easy release on the handle. I used some paper liners before placing the batter into the pans.

The best part of this recipe is the amazing topping that goes on the batter prior to going in the oven. You combine melted butter, sugar and cinnamon and crumble it on the top of each muffin.

Into the oven they went and I wish I could’ve translated how amazing our house smelled while they were baking! They were delicious and every last crumb was consumed off the plate.

I’ve definitely found a new “go-to” recipe for all that rhubarb out in my garden. Here’s the recipe below for you to try yourself. Enjoy those farm-fresh foods straight from the garden to your kitchen table!