Rhubarb and Soap Box Derby

 One of the joys of the Prospect Gardens is the bountiful rhubarb pictured here. The ancestors of this beauty came from nearby Verona. A cutting was a gift from Jed, one of the directors of the Environmental Resources Center.  I retired from the Center several years ago after being on staff for eight years. A wonderful way of ending my evaluation career. Some of the best years of my career. 

The rhubarb stalks are thicker than usual and the leaves are larger than the typical rhubarb's leaves.  You could mistakenly think that the stalks would be chewy and sour. Quite to the contrary; tangy but yet mild with a wonderful smooth texture to the taste.

 I cut the rhubarb and Ann and I made a cobbler.  The recipe is from Jane and Gary Seymour, friends from West Bend. The yellow little binder, over thirty years old, is full of Jane's favorite recipes including this one. I added strawberries purchased from the Saturday Market, held around Madison's Capitol Square.  Always a pleasure to shop this wonderful market.

The occasion for making the dessert was a July 3rd block party celebrating the 4th and featuring a soap box derby. In the spirit of historical celebrations, a number of Dads on the block built soap box cars. The street was closed and a track laid out.

Adults and children climbed in the cars and raced them down Keyes Avenue.  We have a slight hill which made for excellent racing conditions. Here's a few pictures of  the action.  

 This beauty was the exception. Hand-crafted by Eric. He also had a shirt with matching colors and with a number "03".  Eric also found an app that gauged his speed. Incidentally, Eric won the adult race. 

 Here's Travis and his stripped down model. Eric is in the rear and behind at this point in the race, but not for long. Eric's hyper model passed Travis and cruised through the finishing line.

Here's Eric racing a neighborhood girl on her very efficient and stripped down version. At this point the race looks close. I can't remember who won.

 Here's a youngster who has more courage than most and specifically more than I had that day. Here she is on the car made by her Dad. Later in the day, this brave youngster drove Eric's fancy and large car down the track and at quite a fast pace. Accompanying her as a passenger was a still younger girl. With a determine look (and Eric running along the outside of the car), she steered that sleek car to the finish line accompanied by adult cheers and clapping.

Eric asked me if I wanted to take his car down the race track. I chickened out. 

 Now here is a really stripped down model and Joel's master piece. Looks like he is dressed for a potential crash. Nothing like that happened and Joel made it across the finish line without incident.

The strawberry/rhubarb cobbler dessert was a hit. It rapidly disappeared. I myself had two helpings and I noticed one of the younger girls had three helpings. Whipped cream was optional. I took the whipped cream.

Ann and I left feeling happy and with much gratitude for our neighbors and the rhubarb from the Prospect Gardens.