On a drive back from Asheville, my food and photography consultant Grace and I were discussing something new to do with muffins, or something new to do with rhubarb, or both–I’m not quite sure which. Either way, it was a lively discussion, and this recipe is the result.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour (Whole wheat, white, both, as you wish)
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup diced rhubarb
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup walnuts
• 2 cup cooked sweet potato (I like it baked, but I assume canned will do)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk or Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup oil (it might work without this; I liked making it with coconut oil.)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup brewer’s yeast (optional)

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Preheat the oven to 350°, chop the rhubarb and the strawberries, either grease the muffin tins or put in the cupcake liners (I usually spray a little canola oil in the bottom of these to make things come out easier). I get 2 dozen medium sized muffins out of this mix.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In one bowl crumble up the brown sugar, then sift (mix if you don’t have a sifter) in the flour, white sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3, mixing the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix the oatmeal, rhubarb, strawberries, walnuts, sweet potato, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.

Step 4, combining the big mess: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix well. You want to make sure the individual bits rhubarb & berry are each coated to keep them from getting too clumpy. The consistency should be much firmer than batter, but a little more liquid than cookie dough.

Step 5, baking: Fill two dozen or so muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. See how they look. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

Step 6, sharing: I think that muffins are an ideal sharing food. Sure, they are a great breakfast to hand to a family member as she rushes out the door, late for work, but they are even better to share for a liesurely breakfast with black coffee or strong tea sweetened by conversation. Of course, they work just as well for an afternoon tea. As always, they are a great gift to share at work, or to mail, or otherwise sneak to lovely people.(Note: if your only means of postage is messages in old bottles, they are a bit awkward.)