What to do with a surplus of rhubarb? This happens every year—in late spring/early summer, rhubarb grows voraciously in my garden, much faster than I can use it up! I don’t mind a rhubarb upside down cake, or a bit of stewed rhubarb at breakfast, but I am forever searching for new recipes that will help me use up my rhubarb. I’ve heard of rhubarb used in Persian cooking, though I generally stick to sweet baked goods.

Although rhubarb is a ubiquitous plant in most gardens today, that was not always the case. Rhubarb originated in ancient China, but it was known in the west primarily as a medicinal ingredient (primarily using the root). Rhubarb rarely appears in Medieval or Renaissance cooking, and it does not appear in early modern art much either. In fact, it was not cultivated or consumed much in the West until the 18th century.

A work colleague of mine recently brought some rhubarb muffins in to work. They were very tasty, and I loved the combination of tart rhubarb with a sweet and cinnamon crumb topping. So I asked for the recipe, and tweaked a few things to suit my tastes. These muffins may seem a bit underdone on the bottom when you take them out of the oven, but that is only because of the moisture of the rhubarb as it cooks. These muffins are excellent both fresh from the oven, and on the second day. They freeze well.

Rhubarb Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 12-14 large muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups diced rhubarb

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 365F.
2. In large bowl, combine flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the centre.
3. To the well, add buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Stir ingredients until just moistened (batter will be fairly still). Stir in rhubarb.
4. Scoop batter into non-stick, lightly oiled or paper-lined muffin cups.
5. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Sprinkle on muffins. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.