May Is Historic Houses; June Is Our Rhubarb Festival!

The "tontine" structures in Lower Waterford.

What do you know about your home's history? How could you find out more about your house and the people who built it, then perhaps lived there? What would you to remember later about how you've invested part of yourself in your house?

All these, and much more, will be part of the Waterford Historical Society's May 26 meeting with a specialist in house history -- and this will be a Zoom'd event, perhaps the last one we'll need to do that way (hurrah!). Watch for more details soon.

June Is for Rhubarb Desserts and More

Mark your calendar for June 19, when the Waterford Historical Society and the Conte family host a drive-through Rhubarb Festival (our annual fundraising event) at White Birch Farm (aka the Begin place; on Route 18, near exit 1 from I-93). Bakers, get your recipes out -- we're eager for your special rhubarb dessert treats, from crumbles to pies to maple rhubarb muffins (yummy!). To inspire you, here are a couple of recipes from Yankee Magazine with new variations on old treats

Raspberry Rhubarb Pie (Yankee)

 

unbaked pastry for double-crust, 9-inch pie

3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

1-1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tablespoon butter, cut into several pieces

 

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry for the bottom crust.

In a bowl, combine rhubarb with 1 cup of sugar, flour, and salt. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine raspberries with remaining ¼ of cup of sugar.

Pour rhubarb mixture into pie plate. Drain raspberries and layer on top of rhubarb, then dot with butter. Cover with the top crust and seal edges.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake for 30 more minutes, or until pie is golden brown.

 

Cherry-Rhubarb Crunch (Yankee)

 

Crust

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

pinch of salt

 

Mix together all of the ingredients and press half of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan.

 

Filling

 

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon almond flavoring extract

1 can cherry pie filling mix

1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the diced rhubarb on top of the crust. Boil the sugar, water, and cornstarch until thick. Add the almond flavoring, then the pie filling, and spoon the mixture over the rhubarb. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over it, then the nuts. Bake for 45 minutes.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.