Fruit – It Grows in Alaska

sarah in pink shirt and steve pictured in orange with arm around sarah — Sarah and Steve Masterman in their garden. Photo by Elisabeth Swift.

Steve and Sara Masterman grow fruit outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. I had the pleasure of interviewing them about their decades old orchard in Fairbanks. I was blown away by the depth of their knowledge of growing fruit in a cold climate. Steve described it as an addiction.

Steve grew up on a 12 acre farm in Wales, United Kingdom. His family raised cattle, chickens, turkeys, ducks and had a small orchard. He couldn’t believe he when heard about a guy growing apples off of Chena Hotsprings Road. He had to see it for himself and soon bought his first two apple trees from Clair Lamers.

It was 2007 and those were some of the last trees Claire sold. Claire was the master fruit grower in Interior Alaska for many years and taught Steve how to graft.

Rhubarb has been a staple in my life as a Fairbanksan. I grew up making rhubarb pie and rhubarb crisp, which are perfectly delicious ways to use rhubarb. Incidentally, one nickname for rhubarb is “pie plant.” Once established, rhubarb generally thrives with little attention in many Alaska locations. It is even thriving and volunteering on the edge of the trees in my yard with absolutely no care.

Not only is it prolific, the harvest period is also quite lengthy. As I’ve said before, I like to grow things that I can harvest all summer long. Although I certainly will not argue with rhubarb pie or crisp, let’s face it, there is a bit of a mush factor that accompanies these dishes. As my rhubarb plant has grown in productivity in the past few years, I’ve discovered a few new favorite ways to use rhubarb.

Rhubarb Pistachio Picnic Bars

This recipe for Rhubarb Picnic Bars comes from Smitten Kitchen and is a delicious way to use rhubarb in a dessert. I think it brings out the best of rhubarb, maintaining its beauty, taste and texture. It is one of those recipes that, after trying it, all of my friends and family ask me for. You can kiss the rhubarb mush goodbye in this recipe. Instead of almonds, I used pistachios as I’m not a huge fan of almonds.

It Grows in Alaska

Category: Fruit

Growing Fruit in Alaska — Apples, Cherries, Plums, and Pears

More Ways to Use Rhubarb

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