The Taste of Summer: Strawberry Rhubarb Bars & East Hampton Memories

June is here, and for me, that means one thing: the start of summer. Not just the kind marked by calendars or long daylight hours — I’m talking about the true start of summer. The one that smells like warm fruit, tastes a little tart, and takes me straight back to my childhood in East Hampton.

Growing up out east, the first sign of summer wasn’t the beach crowds or BBQs — it was when the rhubarb started popping up at farm stands, right next to the strawberries. My mom and I would grab a few bunches and head back to the kitchen, where we’d bake Strawberry Rhubarb Bars with buttery shortbread crusts and sticky-sweet centers that smelled like sunshine.

That simple ritual — baking with my mom, hands dusted in flour, windows open, and rhubarb simmering on the stove — became a tradition that marked the beginning of the season. To this day, no matter how many cookies I bake, strawberry rhubarb will always taste like summer to me.

 Want to Try Them Yourself?

Here’s my easy and delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Bar recipe — perfect for a picnic, porch snack, or sweet start to your summer.

Ingredients:

• • 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh rhubarb, chopped
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until thick and jammy (about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, mix softened butter, flour, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla until crumbly.
4. Press two-thirds of the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12–15 minutes until lightly golden.
5. Spread the fruit filling over the warm crust. Crumble the remaining dough on top.
6. Bake for another 25–30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
7. Let cool completely before slicing into bars.

 My Summer, Then and Now

Now, I carry those memories — and those flavors — into Lucille’s Baked Goods. While we’re known for cookies and blondies, I’ll never forget how summer really begins for me: with fruit, flour, and a whole lot of love.

Whether you’re making a batch at home or grabbing one of our fresh seasonal treats, I hope you taste a little sunshine this June.

Here are photos of a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie before Baked and then after Baked!

Here’s to a sweet start to summer,

Lucille