Strawberry Rhubarb Fool

A “fool” is a great and traditional way of showcasing in season fruit. You can try and be fancy (I’ve tried many different recipes before) but I’ve yet to find anything which beats the simplicity of stewed fruit folded into whipped cream. Confusingly, rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but that doesn’t stop it being right at the top of my list of seasonal foods, and my favorite for deserts such as this. 

Give it a go with Strawberries or Raspberries too – it works just as well.

Rhubarb Fool Recipe – Ingredients

4 Large Sticks of Rhubarb

1/2 cup (120 ml) strawberry puree (Use fresh Kent Strawberries)

¼ cup (50g) Light Brown Sugar

200ml Whipping Cream

Couple of drop of Vanilla

Rhubarb Fool Recipe – How to Do it:

1.Chop up the rhubarb into 1” pieces and place in a saucepan with 1tbsp water and the sugar.

2.Turn on the heat and stir around a bit; it’ll start out quite dry (keep stirring it for now to prevent the sugar catching on the pan) but will moisten up as the juice is released from the rhubarb.

3.Boil until the rhubarb is soft.  This will take 10 minutes or so.

4.Whip the cream with the vanilla until it forms soft peaks.  When this stage is reached pour in the rhubarb and strawberry puree and fold in until loosely combined.  Don’t worry about getting it fully mixed in, it looks much better when it’s not.

5.Empty into wine glasses and allow to chill for an hour or so before serving.

Expert Reply:

Slime Flux on Elm and Willow

I have researched diseases of Laurel Leaf Willow.  In the photos you provided,  it seems that an injury to the bark, or the removal of a branch is related.  Both injuries seem to be almost healed, but could still provide the opportunity for sap to ooze out.  

There is a disease called Slime Flux that affects trees.  Does the wet area have an unpleasant odor?  Or does it just smell like sap? If there is no odor, is it just sap leaking from the old wounds.  

If it has an odor, it could be Slime Flux; here is some information about this disease.

Bacterial Wetwood (Slime Flux):

Bacterial wetwood, also called slime flux, is a major bole rot of trunk and branches of trees. Slime flux has been attributed to bacterial infection in the inner sapwood and outer heartwood area of the tree. The bacterial infection is normally associated with wounding or environmental stress. The bacteria, Enterobactor cloacae, is determined to cause wetwood in elm, but numerous other bacteria have been associated with this condition in other trees such as cottonwood, willow, ash, maple, birch, hickory, beech, oak, sycamore, cherry and yellow-poplar.

Symptoms of Slime Flux:

A tree with slime flux is water-soaked and “weeps” from visible wounds and even from healthy looking bark. The “weeping” may be a good thing as it is having a slow, natural draining effect on a bacterium that needs a dark, damp environment. A tree with this bole rot is trying its best to compartmentalize the damage. This bacteria alters wood cell walls, causing moisture content of the wood to increase. One interesting thing is that the weeping liquid is fermented sap which is smelly, alcohol based and toxic to new wood.

Control:

Several sources say not to bore holes to drain the rotting wood as it will further spread the bacterium. There is some debate about this practice. Actually, nothing can stop further rot except the tree’s ability to isolate the spot by growing good wood around the diseased portion. Using an insecticide will not help prevent the rot going on inside. You do see secondary insects feeding on sap and the rotting remains but they do not affect the disease process. It is not thought they spread the infection. Don’t waste your money spraying for insects.
Larger, reasonably healthy trees seem to outgrow the problem. A weaker tree may have  flux for a year or two; the problem may seem to go away for a year or two; and then the problem reappears. Improving the health and vigor of the tree helps reduce the chances of the problem becoming severe.

There is not anything that can be sprayed on the trunk to stop this oozing. If you are careful and do not cut around the entire trunk you may want to try  cutting out the infected bark tissue with a diamond shape to allow the sap to drain.

First mix up a bucket of 10% bleach water (one part bleach in nine parts water). Use a strong, sharp knife to cut out the infected bark. Dip the knife blade in the bleach water to disinfect it after every cut to prevent spreading the disease. Cut the bark down to hard wood. Be sure to cut out any discolored bark. Once you’ve got it down to the wood and all cleaned out, soak the open wound with the bleach water. At this point, leave the wound alone. Don’t paint, cover or wrap it. Leave it open and exposed to the air.  This may work for the wound at the base of the trunk.

Dryness is your friend here. Keep an eye on the wound. If you get some foaming ooze at the edge of the wound, just repeat the process.

You never want to remove more than one third of the circumference of the bark on a stem when you’re cutting out the bark. Cutting off more than that will do more harm than good (girdling). If the infection requires you to cut off more than half, you’re better off to remove the branch completely, or just leave the tree alone to fend for itself.

The disease never really goes away, it just fades in and out of the picture. The important thing is to keep your tree as healthy and happy as you know how to make it. Water the tree deeply, but don’t keep it wet all the time. We tend to think that Willows need lots and lots of water, but they withstand drought much better than we give them credit for. Let the soil dry slightly several inches down, and then soak it deeply again. Fertilizer in April is okay, just don’t overdo it, and don’t fertilize after May. Too much fertilizer, or too late in the season,  can result in lank, weak, disease-prone growth.

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Here is a great recipe for Strawberry Shortcake.

Try to imagine the taste of real shortcake, real whipped cream, and real strawberries — no tasteless store-bought sponge cake and artificial whipped topping here.

Real Strawberry Shortcake

INGREDIENTS

3 pints fresh picked Kent strawberries (sliced)

1/4 cup sugar or fresh local honey

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

2/3 cup sour cream (or milk)

2 cups whipped heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/4 cup of sugar or honey. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and sour cream or milk. Stir until just combined.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
5. Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.

VARIATIONS

Add 1/3 cup (50 grams) white chocolate chunks or chips to biscuit mixture or add the zest from 1 orange (grated) to the biscuit mixture, and 1 tbsp orange juice or Grand Marnier Liqueur to sliced strawberries