Whether having a picnic or dining al fresco on the deck, food safety rules are paramount. Keep the hot foods hot and the cold foods cold so bacteria doesn’t have a chance to grow. If we attend a potluck picnic, I prefer to bring a cold dish for just that reason. Salads are great: fruit salad, lettuce salad, or similar dishes are easy and delicious. Desserts are good, too. My rhubarb is growing like wildfire, so I’m going to bake rhubarb treats soon and often. Here’s a simple rhubarb bread that makes a good picnic food or snack.

Rhubarb bread: makes two loaves

Ingredients:

1. Heat oven to 325F, lightly butter and flour two 8″x4″x3″ loaf pans Combine the brown sugar, veggie oil and the egg.

2. Combine the buttermilk (sour milk), baking soda, salt& vanilla.

3. Add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the flour, beating well after each addition

4. Fold in the rhubarb& the nuts.

5. Turn batter into the two loaf pans.

6. Sprinkle with the melted butter and sugar.

7. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

8. Let cool. Serve warm or cool, with butter or plain.

My tip for rhubarb; harvest frequently, whenever the rhubarb is red. Use a food processor to chop into tiny pieces. Freeze in a single layer on wax paper on a cookie sheet. When frozen, pour into a container. This method allows cooks to pull out exactly the amount needed without thawing the entire container. Mm; rhubarb bread in January. Savor the thought.