I am not a fan of goodbyes. And I certainly loathe long ones.

I considered an Irish Goodbye (a.k.a. the French Exit), where I would quietly slip off the food pages of this newspaper, where the Green Plate Special column, with me as its author, has lived for about dozen years now. But my longtime editor, Peggy Grodinsky, strongly suggested otherwise, reminding me that I probably owe my loyal readers some sort of fond farewell. So here it is. (Editor’s Note: What Peggy really said, or at least meant, was that your readers would miss you — and your delicious recipes — as much as she would and they’d want the chance to say/hear good-bye.)

This will be my last Green Plate Special column. I’ve been enrolled part time in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern Maine in Portland since the fall of 2025; I plan to become a culinary arts therapist. Up until now, I have been able to keep one foot in food writing, but as I move into my first practicum rotation — working with Midcoast Maine families whose children are enrolled in the federally funded Head Start early education program — I must fully focus on this new path. My learning curve is a steep one.

I’ve written over 500 Green Plate Special columns, plus a book by the same name. In the process I have learned as many tips, tricks and tactics for sustainably sourcing, selecting, storing, cooking and preserving the products that local farmers, fishermen, chefs, home cooks, cheesemakers, coffee roasters, chocolatiers, maple producers, foragers and specialty food producers bring to market. It has been a delicious ride, and I am very grateful to every reader who has consumed my words and made the recipes their own.

Since I’m transitioning out of this food writer role in late spring, it feels appropriate to share a recipe that features a favorite transitional season ingredient, rhubarb.

Since you already know that I hate goodbyes, I will simply say farewell.

Local-foods advocate Christine Burns Rudalevige is the former editor of Edible Maine magazine and the author of “Green Plate Special,” both a column about eating sustainably in the Portland Press Herald and the name of her 2017 cookbook. She can be contacted at [email protected].

AMISH RHUBARB-OATMEAL BARS

I came to love these bars when I was the manager of a farmers market in central Pennsylvania. The Amish woman who produced them in springtime walked me through her recipe. I’ve been perfecting my version of her recipe for about 15 years now. Fresh rhubarb works best, but you can use frozen chopped rhubarb in a pinch.

Makes 16 (2-inch) squares

1½ cups Maine Grains rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1½ cups diced rhubarb
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until crumbly. Press two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan.

Combine the rhubarb, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread the rhubarb mixture out over the entire base. Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden and the sweetened rhubarb mixture is bubbling up through the crumble, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Store the bars in a single layer in the refrigerator for up to a week.