Rhubarb Berry Crunch

I adapted this recipe from Yankee Magazine's Favorite New England Recipes (out of print). The recipe calls for canned cherries but I only had blackberries and wild strawberries. I have made this twice with these fruits and it is just great. Use berry juice instead of water and be very, very careful with the sugar because your berries may be sweet enough already. The crumble has enough sugar in it. I double the recipe for a 9x13 inch pan.

Crust
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Mix together all of these ingredients and press half of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.

Filling
4 cups fresh rhubarb (or as much as you have)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water (use berry juice)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla flavoring, depending on the fruit and your taste
berries that you have on hand
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Spread the diced rhubarb on top of the crust. Boil the sugar, water, and cornstarch until thick. Add the flavoring, then the berries, and spread the mixture over the rhubarb. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over it, then the nuts.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350°F. Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or both.

_/\_/\_