Rhubarb
If you have never tasted rhubarb before, you are in for a treat! I never heard of rhubarb until I went to my husband’s grandparents farm. His grandma and aunts made the most wonderful desserts with this crazy looking vegetable (and still do)! And then Grandma showed me her rhubarb bed. Yikes! Her plants were giant, with huge leaves and huge stalks. When she told me that rhubarb is a perennial, I knew that I needed to grow some. She must have seen the desire in my eyes, because she split one of her plants and gave me a section to plant it my garden. This was way back in 2004. As with all perennials that bloom in the spring and summer, they must be split and planted in the fall. Rhubarb cannot be harvested the first spring, however, and so you must patiently wait until the second year. But trust me, it is definitely worth the wait! But when you harvest the second year, leave about 3/4 of the stalks. It then continues to produce for many, many years. You need to split it every few years, but more about that later.
When I lived in the Chicago suburbs and started looking for this interesting vegetable, I sometimes found it at farmers markets but rarely at grocery stores. I split my rhubarb every five years and eventually planted a few in my Green Lake garden. Don’t be afraid to split them; you can research how to do it. It is easy. If you don’t split it after a few years, the plant will still produce alot of stalks, but they will be thin. Last year, I moved all my rhubarb adjacent to The Tomato Bed. I now have nine plants and they love their new location. There is also a large plant in The Victory Garden that my gardening partner transplanted. It is hard to believe that the one plant Grandma gave me sixteen years ago, has been split and given to many family and friends and loved by all. That is a plant that keeps on giving! On a side note, later my mom told me that wild rhubarb was growing near my childhood home. I had no idea! I asked her why we never ate any. She said that wild rhubarb is poisonous. I KNOW that the leaves and poisonous (DON’T compost them), but I hadn’t heard that the stalks of wild rhubarb are poisonous. I haven’t seen any research supporting this. It might be an urban myth, but I don’t pick wild rhubarb just in case — better safe than sorry!
Let’s talk rhubarb! One of the first signs of spring in my garden is the rhubarb peaking through the dirt. It makes me happy because I know that my gardening cycle will soon begin and rhubarb is the first vegetable to harvest. Harvesting usually begins mid-May and can continue until mid-September depending upon the weather. Sometimes in the summer it might produce a round stalk with flowers. This means that the rhubarb is bolting (like broccoli, arugala, etc.). This usually happens in very warm weather. You should cut it at the base and not harvest it. If you don’t, the rhubarb will spend its energy producing the stalk that won’t be harvested. When you harvest it, it will continue to produce more stalks so you should have a supply the entire summer. Every year when you harvest, leave at least 1/4 of the stalks around the whole plant when the season ends.
Rhubarb is usually used as an ingredient in desserts, so many people think it is fruit. It is sour and looks like celery; sometimes the stalks are light green or sometimes a light red/pink, some of the stalks are large and some are thin. As I mentioned, rhubarb needs a lot of space. Mine are about three feet wide. It has long and deep roots. It is a “heavy feeder” which needs to be fertilized and watered otherwise its stalks may be super skinny. They love compost so once a month I add compost or manure on the soil around its base for extra nutrients. I also water it regularly as I do my other vegetables. This combination helps produce many thick stalks. But even if you don’t “tend” to it, it will still produce, but just not as much. But remember, ONLY the stalks can be eaten. DON’T compost the leaves because the leaves are POISONOUS! Sometimes the stalks grow very close to the ground. Because they are not the thickest stalks on the plant and are so close to the ground, they get too much water and turn yellow, soft and basically rot. So make sure you harvest these before that happens! If you don’t, remove the soft stalks and leaves as you see them. This will allow the plant to use its energy to produce more and thicker stalks. Plus it helps keep them looking “tidy”.
How do you eat rhubarb? Oh, my dear friend, let me count the ways! I use them in desserts, but I also can rhubarb jam, strawberry rhubarb jam and strawberry rhubarb syrup. Most people make strawberry rhubarb pie, but I have never because mine never turns out. I guess I am a better cook than a baker.
In the fall, I hope that you plant rhubarb. Don’t be afraid of the space it needs, just find a space and plant it. If it outgrows the space, you can always split it and give it to a friend. Chances are, one of your friends will be grateful!