Rhubarb looks like red celery. But if you bite into it, you will get a blast of pure sour. Don't even try. Not even on a dare.

This strange little vegetable only becomes palatable when paired with something sweet — strawberries are typical — or when you dump a whole lot of sugar on it. And then it's pretty great. Sprightly and tart.

“;I noticed that Safeway has fresh rhubarb now and yum, it brings back memories,”; Ann Ruby wrote. She used to buy a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie from Star Market in Moiliili. “;Now that they are closed, does anyone in town make rhubarb pies?”;

I called a few bakeries and couldn't come up with an answer for Ruby, but we both thought that by throwing out the question, someone might come up with a suggestion. So if you know where to buy a good rhubarb pie, please get in touch — contact information is listed below.

In the meantime, what I can do is provide a recipe. Rhubarb is in season now and so are strawberries. This is a great time to try the classic pairing, and it makes for an easy baking project.

Recipes are similar — equal amounts rhubarb and berries, coated in sugar, then tossed with a thickener such as cornstarch or tapioca. A little cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla is sometimes suggested, but I didn't find that necessary.

A good source for further exploration of rhubarb is the website http://www.rhubarbinfo.com. Here you will find recipes for Rhubarb Coconut Pie, Rhubarb Lemon Tofu Pie as well as rhubarb candies, drinks and soups. I am intrigued by the Norwegian Cold Rhubarb Soup with Mint but that is an adventure for another day.

To get you in the right mindset for baking your rhubarb pie, here is a rhubarb limerick, from the aforementioned website:

Rhubarb when raw is so tough

And its leaves contain poisonous stuff,

But when cleaned and de-soiled,

Dipped in sugar and boiled

Then the stalks are quite tasty enough.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PIE

3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie
1 egg white, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss fruit with sugar, lemon juice and tapioca; let stand 15 minutes.

Fit dough into 9-inch pie pan. Brush with egg white and place in oven 2 minutes to dry (this helps prevent a soggy bottom crust).

Turn fruit and any accumulated juices into pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust, trim and crimp edges to seal. Brush with milk and sprinkle with more sugar. Place pie on baking sheet in bottom third of oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is beginning to brown. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer, until juices bubble and crust is golden brown.

Cool on wire rack. Pie is best after chilling, when filling is firmed up.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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