by Glenda Bissex

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but we put lots of sugar on it (it’s tart) and eat it as a fruit.

“The ancient Chinese used it as a medicinal herb over 5,000 years ago. Native to southern Siberia, it got its name from the Russians who grew it along the Rha River (now the Volga). For centuries it was traded alongside tea as a cure for stomach aches and fevers. . . . It was brought to the Americas by settlers before 1800” (hort.extension.wisc.edu).

Rhubarb is a hardy (mine has survived -30 degrees, too much and too little rain) perennial (my patch was here when we bought the farm 60 years ago). It likes full sun and fertile soil and no competition from weeds or grass. Insect pests and deer are not a problem. When I pull (yes, pull—don’t cut) the stalks, I cut off the large, toxic leaves and spread them around the plants as mulch. Rhubarb grows from rhizomes. Perhaps you can get a chunk from a neighbor or you can buy divisions. Plant them 2’ or 3’ apart, and set the pieces so the buds are about 2” below the soil surface. 

Rhubarb is best in spring so put some up now to enjoy in winter. Freezing is easy: chop it and freeze in a container. Or can (or freeze) the sauce, chutney, etc. A little later in the season, the plants send up majestic stalks with white flowers. Many gardeners cut these off to prevent diverting energy from the plant; I admire them and let them grow.

There are lots of ways to eat and even drink (wine, shrub) rhubarb. Rhubarb pie, with or without strawberries, is a favorite. Recipes for rhubarb chutneys abound online. Here’s my simple sauce and an historic recipe for crumble from the Spring 2009 newsletter by our long-time recipe editor, Debra Stoleroff.

Rhubarb Sauce

• 4 c. chopped (into 1” pieces) rhubarb
• 1/2 c. sugar
• Optional additions: a few pieces of crystallized ginger, cut up finely, or cinnamon.

I put the chopped rhubarb in a cooking pan (not aluminum) with the sugar on top, cover it and let it stand overnight. This draws out the juice so you need not add water.
Simmer for 15 minutes.

Maple Apple Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter or margarine

In a bowl, combine the rhubarb, apples, egg, sugar, syrup, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly.

---