Its name is Rhubarb. I bought a pack of 4 rhubarb roots early this spring. I tucked them into a 22″ square container filled with basic container mix. The rhubarb shares the container with some nasturtiums at the back of the pot and a wimpy anise hyssop plant in a front corner. I would say that the container gets 3/4 sun. Two of the four are doing well. A third sprouted but is much behind the first two. I can’t say how it will hold up as the season progresses. We have had a cooler than normal spring here in NW Indiana.
When I purchased the bare roots, I knew nothing about rhubarb — growing it or eating it. Heck I didn’t even know what the plant would look like other than having reddish celery like stalks.
The plant itself is turning out to be a charmer. The large, deep green leaves have a prehistoric look that is a nice contrast to the other foliage in my container garden. I especially like the smaller leaves when they are all crinkled.
My plants are not ready for harvesting but I tasted rhubarb today in the form of a 6″ Strawberry Rhubarb pie Marilyn’s Bakery of Hobart, IN. I am not a big fan of pie but this was amazing in terms of both taste and texture. While eating a slice of said pie, I poked around on the webs for other ideas for using rhubarb and I look forward to experimenting with it. As both a plant and a food it has earned a place on my keeper list. Here are some of the things I found:
On one of my favorite blogs, Peeling a Pomegranate, Ketzirah sings the praises of rhubarb.
The Accidental hedonist offers Rhubarb tips and tricks
Food & Wine has spring produce suggestions including several Rhubarb recipes
The comments on this Chow Hound Post offer more ideas.
I am not a fan of the diet industry, but this site has some useful tips and ideas.
Ideas from Rader Farms.
Creative Home has ideas for growing and using rhubarb.
Cook & Eat blog suggests rhubarb compote as an accompaniment to an interesting sounding apple bread and grilled blue cheese sandwich.
Lots of ideas from High Altitude Rhubarb Organic Nursery and Farm
Salty Dog blog offers some more options
Rhubarb Upside Down Cake from Kitchen Parade.
A Veggie Venture tries a rhubarb pizza and offers links to more rhubarb recipes.
I have a special interest in recipes that use herbs so this rhubarb lavender crumble is especially appealing to me.
1 Comment
June 2, 2008 at 7:55 am
Thanks for the shout out! I love finding new bloggers with common interest. I can’t believe I’ve never seen your blog before. Must be our mutual Pronoia love that bringing us together!
I’m definitely going to have to try the rhubarb lavender crumble!