Rhubarb :An Old Fashioned Garden Treat

by: Liz Roberts

Growing rhubarb is like having your own piece of Americana. A century ago most homeowners planted this perennial , harvesting the stems for delicious pies and compotes. It is not widely used as other vegetables are, but this dessert staple is rich in potassium and Vitamin C. Rhubarb requires more care than the average backyard plant yet any intermediate gardener can have great success with it. Extra nurturing will produce an abundant harvest.

Rhubarb’s history goes back farther than just 19th and early 20th Century America. It is actually a staple of Chinese healers. Ancient Chinese farmers cultivated rhubarb as early as 2700 BCE and it still is used today as it was then in treating fevers and constipation. It is a colorful plant with hugely extravagant leaves topping pink or red stalks. The stalks are the only edible part of the rhubarb. The leaves are extremely toxic and if eaten can cause serious lung, skin or kidney damage. Still, rhubarb is a great addition to your garden and diet. It is mostly made into pies and serves as a foil to other fruits, offsetting their sweetness with its’ tart flavor.

There are many different kinds of rhubarb. The most popular is the Crimson (also known as the Crimson Wine or Crimson Cherry). Its’ stalk, both inside and out, are a deep vibrant red. You can also grow rhubarb indoors with such types as the Victoria and German Wine. Their stalk color varies, depending on where they have been grown. Planted inside a shedor basement, their petioles(leafstalks) will turn out to be green with a slight speckling that fades near the stalk’s top. Grown outside, both the Victoria and German Win will produce almost blood red colored stalks. Other kinds are the Cherry Red, the Ruby and the MacDonald.

Rhubarbs thrive best in colder weather so the ideal planting time is late fall. You can also plant them in early Spring if your area is prone to severe winters. Rhubarb can tolerate most types of soil. They grow best in fertile, well drained areas that have a make up of high organic matter. A clean planting site is necessary. Do not plant where you have previously sprayed herbicides since none are considered “rhubarb safe.” The plant is also tolerant of soil acidity but does best in a moderately acidic dirt. You can grow it in a pH of 5.0 however it will grow better in anywhere from 6.0 to 6.8. (along with guaranteeing a more abundant harvest later on). You will also need liberal quantities of fertilizer. Crop quality large depends on the care and fertilization given. Each plant should be appropriated one cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer each spring. Spread it around the base in a wide circle. Also before planting, work plenty of either well rotted manure or compost into the dirt.

When planting , plant only the roots with crown buds. You can plant the seeds yet these take too long for the plants to become established. Plant the roots with the buds two inches below the soil’s surface. Space roots 36 to 48 inches apart. Try to plant on raised beds to avoid the crowns from rotting. Rhubarbs love a good drenched soil, so water them frequently. If you have rhubarb from previous growing seasons you can dig them up and divide them into six or eight pieces for new roots. Each piece must have one strong bud to survive. Always dig the roots of your healthiest rhubarb the spring before to establish a new bed. Discard any older, imperfect roots.

Cultivate shallowly as often as necessary to remove weeds. Apply a complete garden fertilizer before any growth appears in the spring and then apply a high nitrogen kind in late June. Also apply this in late fall or early winter. Do not cover the crowns!

Rhubarb’s growing season runs from April to September although it can be forced grown even in the dead of winter. Forcing involves digging up its’ roots and replanting them in large, preferably wooden pots. Leave them outside after three or four hard freezes then bring indoors to a dark, temperate place like your basement. Then keep them covered with either peat, soil or sawdust. After harvesting,, plant them back outdoors again and protect them with a good coating of mulch.

Refrain from harvesting your rhubarb during their first year. Each stalk needs to build up its’ food reserves in its’ roots to produce thick, robust stalks. This will not happen if you cut them down too quickly. Stalks may be harvested for one to two weeks during their second year and eight to ten weeks (basically an entire harvesting season) during their third and subsequent years. Harvest in the fall only when the plants are to be discarded during the next season. To harvest, pull the stalks from the plant and trim the leaf blades or leaves. Remember the leaves are TOXIC! Your stalks should be crisp, dark red and fairly thick. Yield and quality are the highest when the leafstalks have reached their full size. Also harvest them before any coarseness appears. You can store your rhubarb stalks in your fridge unwashed and tightly wrapped in plastic for three weeks.

Rhubarb is an old fashioned treat no gardener should miss out on. It may require a little more care than the average vegetable but the end result is worth the concern and pampering. Treat it with tenderness and you’ll have a delicious harvest of ruby red stalks – perfect for your pies and compotes!

For more information on Rhubarb - http://www.hort.cornell.edu/4hplants/Vegetables/Rhubarb.html

Rhubarb Pie

by: Liz Roberts

This is a classic, perfect for holiday dessert tables or summer picnics!

Preparation

When cooking fresh rhubarb use your vegetable peeler to remove any brown or scaly spots. Peeling the entire stalk is unnecessary. Simply trim the ends and wash and dry it.

Always use what is known as a non-reactive pot for cooking. Use either anodized aluminum, stainless steel, Teflon coated aluminum or enamel coated cast iron cookware. Your rhubarb stalks will turn a shade of rotten brown if you cook them in reactive metals pots such as iron, copper or aluminum. This happens because metal ions flake off from the pot and interact with the fruits’ acids. A dark compound is formed that will affect both your rhubarb and cookware.

• 4 cups chopped prepared rhubarb
• 1 1/3 cup honey
• 7 tablespoons flour
• pinch salt.
• Prepared pie crust
• 1 teaspoon butter

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour into a 9” prepared pastry crust. Dot with one teaspoon butter. Cover with another sheet of pastry crust. Crimp edges. Bake at 450 degrees F for ten minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes.

Serve with strawberry ice cream

Author’s note – I got this recipe from am awesome website www.rhubarbinfo.com  It has socres of great rhubarb recipes for all kinds of tastes.