Triple Berry Rhubarb Sauce

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books as a child. I remember well the "Little House In The Big Woods". I remember well the part where Laura was given a "Pie Plant". It must have been rhubarb from the description of the stalks. I also remember her dismay when Ma and Pa gave a visitor her "Pie Plant" stalks. As I grew older and more experienced in "Pie Plant" recipes, pies were the last on my list to make with this wonderful, high in vitamin C gift from the earth. Why limit yourself to just a pie when you can have the wonderful, tart flavor over ice cream or a waffle or a pancake? Whenever I get my hands on this gem, it goes into my sauce pot to become a savored treat that lasts not just one or two nights, but several seasons! If you are lucky enough to have a "Pie Plant" or two in your yard, or a generous friend or neighbor, make a bit of this to last you through the cold months of winter. Because it is an acidic crop, this recipe can be safely put up with a hot water canning method. 

  Triple Berry Rhubarb Sauce 

1 lb rhubarb, trimmed, washed, and sliced 

1 pint blueberries, washed 

1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered. 

1 pint raspberries, marion, or black berries, washed 

4 cps water 

2 cps sugar 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 tsp salt

 Place all ingredients into a large, nonreactive stock pot (enamel or stainless steel), over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced in volume by at least half and thickened. You can put up in jars at this point or, if you are like me and don't like big chunks of strawberry in your sauce, run it through a blender til smooth. Make sure you hide a bit to enjoy over the winter holiday season when rhubarb is nothing but a distant memory of spring.

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