Buy yourself some rhubarb. Mmmm.

In the hierarchy of perceived yummy-ness,rhubarb has held its honored place in my mind somewhere between mincemeat and pickled pig lips. I don't know why - it just sounds gross, like the kind of thing you would be served alongside a main course of gruel or slop. But this spring I gave in and tried it, in an attempt to buy produce that is both seasonal and local.

WHY should we eat seasonally when we live in America and can get whatever we want, whenever we want?

1. YUMMIER. It hasn't been transported from, say, Argentina - so transit time is drastically cut from the time the item is picked until it reaches your mouth. The more recently it is picked, the yummier it is.

2. CHEAPER. If you eat seasonally, then you are also most likely eating locally. Which means less transport, less fuel used, and lower prices.

3. HEALTHIER. The longer produce spends on the vine or branch, the more vitamins and minerals it absorbs and the better it is for your body. Also, if it is not travelling long distances, then it will not need to be sprayed with pesticides or with gas to ripen it synthetically.

4. FUN-NER. Yeah, funner. There is something wonderful about anticipating the arrival of something you love. Winters in Kaspi were dark, cold, and full of long underwear, potatoes and meat dumplings. By the time May rolled around, our bodies literally craved salad greens and strawberries. So, when they appeared at the market we bought them by the bucket-full. I remember eating strawberries (only) for dinner. Two kilos of them. I am not kidding. Interestingly enough, spring is the time of year when our bodies need a good thorough cleansing anyways, so the produce that is natural to eat at this time aids our bodies in this task.

5. NEIGHBORLY. It supports your local homegrown farmer. And that is nice.

For all of the above listed reasons, I recently went to the grocery and came home with a carton of strawberries and a bag of rhubarb. It looked a little like red celery, which was scary considering that this was going to be dessert. But let me assure you that this dessert is absolutely *wonderful.* I don't mean "wonderful" like "It will do the job if you are committed to eating seasonally but otherwise it would be nasty." I mean that this strawberry rhubarb crisp ranks up there next to blueberry pie on the 4th of July or chocolate cake on your birthday. If you think that your grocery store doesn't carry rhubarb, check. This time of year, its quite likely that they do.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Barbara Kingsolver as printed in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. (Which by the way, I recommend half-heartedly...If you're going to read a book on this subject, I'd like to steer you towards The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.)