RHUBARB

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Do you love it? Do you hate it? Have you ever tried to kill it? When am I supposed to pick it anyway? And then what should I do with it?

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:53 (eighteen years ago)

make strawberry-rhubarb pie!

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:05 (eighteen years ago)

When I moved to my new apartment, there was a tree planter outside with what looked like a very diseased piece of rhubarb growing out of it. Why anyone with a garden would grow rhubarb on the sidewalk (a sidewalk that's incredibly dirty, as there is light industrial across the road) is completely beyond me, adn the thought that it got there on its own is even more boggling.

That's my rhubarb story. The rhubarb died, it seems. I haven't seen it since winter.

― Will M., Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:09 (eighteen years ago)

i heard recently that the best rhubarb grows in the dark

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:11 (eighteen years ago)

In the dark?! Mine does seem to be madly growing in our backyard, which is pretty shady.

Strawberry rhubarb pie sounds yummy; I am also considering rhubarb cake. (And then getting really fat, since my husband is not a rhubarb fan.)

Will M., I have never heard of anyone actually managing to kill rhubarb, so I am completely disturbed thinking about that sidewalk and the surrounding area.

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)

xpost

Is that an innuendo?

― Ms Misery, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)

Sara, rhubarb is the BEST. My grandmother grew it in her backyard and my sister and I would go pick it for her (early part of summer in Western New York, where spring doesn't fully start until the end of May) so she could make us all sorts of delicious rhubarb treats.

Straight-up rhubarb pie is delicious too, but not for those with a wishy-washy appreciation of the plant.

― molly mummenschanz, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:23 (eighteen years ago)

yes! it's called "forced rhubarb" -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mostof_forcedrhubarb.shtml

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:42 (eighteen years ago)

Vegetating in the absolute darkness of the heated sheds, the rhubarb searches desperately for light and in its pursuit it grows at twice [its normal] speed. For anyone frustrated by a plant’s ability to grow through a concrete path or hard tennis court, this is the explanation. The frantic energy of these plants is even audible. Standing in a quiet rhubarb shed, you can hear a popping sound as the canopy covering the crown of the leaf opens; you can hear the rhubarb grow.

http://www.1976design.com/blog/archive/2004/01/10/forced-rhubarb/

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:44 (eighteen years ago)

Straight-up rhubarb pie is delicious too, but not for those with a wishy-washy appreciation of the plant.

YES

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:45 (eighteen years ago)

Never rub another man's rhubarb.

― dan m, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:46 (eighteen years ago)

Wow, that article is fascinating. And... rhubarb vodka???!!!

― Sara R-C, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:48 (eighteen years ago)

Time for Rhubarb, Fool.

Time for Rhubarb Fool.

― Ed, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 19:01 (eighteen years ago)

Aphex's "Rhubarb" is the best song in the universe.

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 22:01 (eighteen years ago)

the universe is pretty big

― rrrobyn, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 22:03 (eighteen years ago)

Rhubarb Crumble. YUM!

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 22:50 (eighteen years ago)

From a week or so ago:

B: two of the five rhubarbs have seemingly died!
B: I don't know why.
me: : (
me: plant more
me: i will not rest until the world is covered in rhubarb
B: it's sad.
me: then i will cover the world with crumble!
me: and collide it into the SUN!
B: I like your idea.
B: it's tangy.

― Casuistry, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 01:09 (eighteen years ago)

Also: the leaves are poisonous.

― Casuistry, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 01:10 (eighteen years ago)

the rhubarb searches desperately for light and in its pursuit it grows at twice [its normal] speed

this sounds cruel

― RJG, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 01:18 (eighteen years ago)

We had to shoo one of our horses away from the leaves cuz rhubarb was growing too close to the fence. My mom would cook it and freeze or can it. I didn't really like it as a child. I might like it now; my tastes have changed.

― Maria :D, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 01:34 (eighteen years ago)

Also a few weeks ago:

J: what do you do with it?
J: the rhubarb, I mean
me: i don't have a good rhubarb pie recipe, which is frustrating. but i attempt pies, make chutneys, the usual.
me: sometimes just snack on it raw.
J: raw???
J: good god
J: thats like eating whole coffee beans
me: it's nice, it's like sparkling celery

― Casuistry, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 01:47 (eighteen years ago)

It's very easy to make tasty rhubarb as a dessert. Just boil it until it becomes soft, add sugar, and serve in a small bowl.

― calstars, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 03:10 (eighteen years ago)

Am I really the first to say "dud"? The very smell of rhubarb makes me nauseous like few other things can.

― Deric W. Haircare, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 03:29 (eighteen years ago)

when i was younger and would hang out at my grandma's house a lot, there was a crazy old lady named evie thoele that lived a few doors down, and she would bake things for people all the time and put rhubarb into everything she made. everything.

― nataschakristin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 04:43 (eighteen years ago)

When I was a kid we lived on an estate that was built over an old orchard, we had raspberries, blackberries, loganberries and RHUBARB growing in our back garden. I love rhubarb crumble. We used to pick the rhubarb and give some to our elderly neighbours. No idea if they actually liked it.

― Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:37 (eighteen years ago)

eight years pass...

I've never so much as tasted rhubarb before – it's not easy to find around here. Finally saw some today and got 2 lbs. ILX and non-ILX friends on Facebook are getting me up to speed on what to do with it.

― WilliamC, Saturday, 12 March 2016 02:19 (nine years ago)

Straight-up rhubarb pie is delicious too, but not for those with a wishy-washy appreciation of the plant.

YES

― mookieproof, Tuesday, May 1, 2007 2:45 PM (8 years ago)

― mookieproof, Saturday, 12 March 2016 02:37 (nine years ago)

I sent this to WmC already but here it is for posterity (stolen from the excellent Rustic Fruit Desserts cookbook)

http://focussnapeat.com/baking-with-rhubarb-via-oregon/

― the 'major tom guy' (sleeve), Saturday, 12 March 2016 04:12 (nine years ago)

three years pass...

Can't get enough of this stuff, but the nearest store that carries it hasn't been able to get any from their warehouse on the last 3 produce trucks. Maybe tomorrow. I have a rhubarb tincture aging on everclear, a rhubarb liqueur in progress, and have made a cobbler, a crumble, and a rhubarb nectar cake based on the apricot nectar cake I used to love as a kid. I have about 3 oz. of sweetened juice left and will mix it with some gin when I watch the baseball tomorrow. Making up for decades of lost time.

― 16 Historic English ILXors You Must Explore Soon (WmC), Sunday, 31 March 2019 03:13 (six years ago)

it’s pretty easy to grow

― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 31 March 2019 03:16 (six years ago)

I liked the tanginess in my stir fries a while back ie sliced up unsweetened as part of a savoury dish.
Have since started using tamarind so have probably got too close an equivalent factor in my mix.

― Stevolende, Sunday, 31 March 2019 03:26 (six years ago)

We're in a slightly warm climate for growing it (on the cusp of zones 7b and 8a) but I'm going to try it anyway.

― 16 Historic English ILXors You Must Explore Soon (WmC), Sunday, 31 March 2019 12:33 (six years ago)

The store finally got some in after 2 weeks of the warehouse not fulfilling their orders, so I bought a full 6-kilo case. I have a vacuum sealer and it freezes well, and in the meantime it'll be nonstop rhubarb until everyone's sick of it.

― Jared Kushner's Blows Against the Empire — C/D (WmC), Saturday, 6 April 2019 23:50 (six years ago)

i’ll be right over

― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 7 April 2019 02:30 (six years ago)

Me too!

― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Sunday, 7 April 2019 02:33 (six years ago)

My grandma made a tart cherry & rhubarb pie every christmas, I'm suprised I never posted about it before. I can still taste it despite haven't had it in 25 years.

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Sunday, 7 April 2019 03:05 (six years ago)

maybe you should brush your teeth more

― remy bean, Sunday, 7 April 2019 03:13 (six years ago)

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1186532604l/1662762.jpg

― Anne Hedonia (j.lu), Sunday, 7 April 2019 03:15 (six years ago)

Excited about rhubarb revival for sure
Just boiling some up, adding a lil shugah and alright

― calstars, Sunday, 7 April 2019 03:21 (six years ago)

https://youtu.be/zedq1VhaS90

― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 7 April 2019 05:34 (six years ago)

j.lu I don’t even know how to begin with that WHAT is that even real

― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Sunday, 7 April 2019 07:56 (six years ago)

Rhubarb is great. It’s not in season here yet but coincidentally I just had cheap store-brand rhubarb confiture on my bread for breakfast and it was delicious as always.

― L'assie (Euler), Sunday, 7 April 2019 09:05 (six years ago)

it’s pretty easy to grow

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about this last week, it's easy to grow once you get it started or established but that's not as easy as it sounds - also climate is important. He had his son's girlfriend's parents visiting from Italy and they had never eaten rhubarb before.

― Angry Question Time Man's Flute Club Band (Tom D.), Sunday, 7 April 2019 11:44 (six years ago)

xxpost It's real (from 1946), and was made into a 1951 movie.

― Anne Hedonia (j.lu), Sunday, 7 April 2019 12:12 (six years ago)

I lucked out finding an info source at a nearby nursery -- one of the employees is a major fiend for rhubarb and also originally from Ohio, a more amenable climate for it. She said it can't be grown in-ground here in MS, but you can baby it along as a container plant for about 5 productive years, then divide it and start over.

― Jared Kushner's Blows Against the Empire — C/D (WmC), Sunday, 7 April 2019 12:17 (six years ago)

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