Rhubarb Recipes

GROWING RHUBARB

Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb Cobblers/Crisps
Rhubarb Cookies/Breads
Rhubarb Desserts
Rhubarb Drinks
Rhubarb Muffins
Rhubarb Pies
Rhubarb Preserves
Rhubarb Sauces & Misc
Growing Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a perennial and its large leaves make it an ornamental plant which is often grown as a backdrop for a flower garden. It thrives in rich composted soils, but even when neglected will produce a good crop. It prefers cold weather and survives freezing temperatures. It likes a well drained soil and does not do well in damp, soggy ground.

To plant rhubarb crowns, dig a large hole and mix the soil with compost and aged manure. Partly refill the hole and set the crown in the hole, then cover with the balance of the soil mixture. Tamp the soil down and water thoroughly.

Do not harvest the rhubarb the first year to allow the plant to establish itself. In the second year, harvest only a few stalks, but by the third year the plant can be harvested in the spring. Old well established beds can be harvested in the spring, and the plants allowed to re-grow and a second smaller harvesting made in the summer.

Rhubarb leaves are not edible and can be left to rot near the plant where they were harvested, to act as a mulch to control weeds and to put nutrients back into the soil. Only the stalk is edible. Flower stalks should be cut as soon as they appear to keep the plant producing.

When harvesting rhubarb, pull the entire stalk, then with a knife trim off the base and the leaves. The stalk should be crisp and should break apart when bent. If the stalk bends, it is probably too old to use.

In the fall, add well-rotted manure to the rhubarb bed.

Rhubarb can be forced to grow earlier in the spring by covering the plants with 5-gallon dark colored buckets to warm the soil. Rhubarb is sometimes grown beside homes, as the warmth from the building warms the spring soil faster than in the garden.

Freezing Rhubarb: Rhubarb freezes easily and can be washed and drained then chopped and put into measured freezer bags. To use frozen rhubarb in cake batters, drain and blot dry on paper towels. Rhubarb pie also freezes well.

Storing Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb can be stored, unwashed, in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Wash before using.

Wild Rhubarb

Rhubarb has escaped from gardens and now grows wild in many places. Also, there are abandoned gardens where rhubarb plants continue to flourish. If undisturbed, rhubarb may grow for many years. Many old varieties have a delicious tart taste when they are young.