linnaeus makes my day

Yesterday was the birthday of my brother Mark who was a mere 28, and of Carolus Linnaeus who would have been, were these Old Testament days, a whopping 301. I know this odd fact about Linnaeus (the Swede who basically named all living things) because of The Writer's Almanac, which has hit my inbox daily for several years now. Every day there's a poem and a treasure trove of Trivial Pursuit tidbits that someone like my dad could actually scan and remember. If I even have time to read the "what happened on this day in the humanities history profiles" (which isn't often, as I mainly signed on for the poetry), I would certainly forget whatever I took in the second I opened another email or walked into another room. Yet I will remember Linnaeus.

You see, here's a botanist, university professor and all-around genius who developed a Latin naming system and listed 4,400 species known to science at the time (today there are over 1.5 million!), and then announced, when his life was near its end, that his proudest achievement was introducing rhubarb to Sweden. Yes, that's right, rhubarb. Linnaeus apparently imported exotic plants and animals to Sweden and attempted to grow them, including coffee, tea, ginger and coconuts, and the sole surviver (and thriver) was rhubarb. The only thing I can figure is that Linnaeus had my recipe for rhubarb muffins, rhubarb oatmeal crumble, rhubarb bread, strawberry-rhubarb pie and, especially, my grandma Gaye's rhubarb sauce. Because to have growing rhubarb as his proudest achievement, he must have loved to eat this strange fruit/vegetable/weed as much as me.

Although most rhubarb recipes involve lots of sugar to combat the intense tartness, my grandma's rhubarb sauce includes very little. Because my grandma does not have this recipe written down, she just told me what she does. And now, that's what I do. If you are an exacting cook, you will not like this recipe. (Because what I am giving you is just my interpretation. For a thicker sauce use more rhubarb. For a thinner sauce, more apple juice.) But if you like rhubarb, you will be glad you made it. It is divine on vanilla ice cream but it also turns plain yogurt into dessert. I am eating it right now. Thanks, Linnaeus.

Grandma Gaye's Rhubarb Sauce
4-6 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 can frozen apple juice concentrate
1 pkg. gelatin
1 pkg. sweetened frozen strawberries (this is the "sugar")
1-2 chopped oranges (optional)

Bring rhubarb and apple juice to a boil. Simmer 10-15 minutes until rhubarb is mushy. Turn off heat and stir in gelatin. (Vegetarians could probably use tapioca as a substitute.) Cool a bit and stir in the strawberries. Add oranges.