Garden Rhubarb

Question: I have rhubarb in my garden. 2 different plants, and neither goes red up the stalk. Any ideas? We are living in the Taree area, and folks down the road have nice red, large stalks on their plants... ours are large enough, but it wilts and droops before it goes red... at most its a distant pink tinge.. any suggestions? We are living in the Taree (edit: Taree is on the mid-east coast of Australia) area, and folks down the road have nice red, large stalks on their plants... ours are large enough, but it wilts and droops before it goes red... at most its a distant pink tinge.. any suggestions?

Answer: I have a half dozen varieties, some completely green inside and out, some with red skins and green inside and some red throughout. While the green cooks up to an unappealing "puke" green, I prefer its taste and texture to the watery mild tasting red. To overcome the puke imagery of the green variety I add a stalk or two of the red or a couple drops of red food coloring. Taree Australia right? I'm always surprised that rhubarb grows at all in areas without a winter. I live in -40 degree North Dakota and could not get it to grow in balmy Virginia. Rhubarb is a very hungry, thirsty plant so if you know it's getting enough to eat and drink and the leaves are still wilting, try giving it a little afternoon shade.

Question: How many of you came from under the rhubarb in the garden as opposed to being brought by the Stork? Under the rhubarb is where I am from

Answer: I think I was created in a lab somewhere.

Question: My cat likes to urinate on the rhubarb growing in my garden. Is it still safe to eat? He is urinating in the air directly onto the stalks and leaves--not on the ground around it.

Answer: never

Question: Where can i buy rhubarb to plant in my garden?

Answer: You can get it at some nurseries and online www.jacksonandperkins.com or www.jungseed.com... I know one of them has it. But I did read that when you put it in your garden you can't harvest it until the following year. So if you purchase it from a nursery find out how old it is. So you know if it is harvestable this year or next year.

Question: growing rhubarb in huge tub with dog in garden is it safe? ive just bought a rhubarb plant and im getting a really large tub to plant it in,ive got a chihuahua dog hes only 6" tall so not even half the height of the tub im buying,i have only since heard that the leaf is toxic,i dont think he will be able to reach it,but if he did what would it do to him?has anyone elses dog eaten the leafs and got badly ill?

Answer: Yeah, our dogs have never gone near our rhubarb, they sniff occasionally, but it's like they know they shouldn't eat.

Question: Just picked some rhubarb out of my garden and it is green, should I wait till its red?

Answer: Strictly speaking the bottom should be quite red, getting greener as it rises up the stalk. If it is too green it will be to tart to eat and any healthy option will fly out of the window due to the 3lb of sugar that will be needed to make it edible!

Question: how will i know when my Rhubarb is ready to pick from the garden?

Answer: Check out the bottom of the 1st page and top of the second for when and how to pick. This also includes info on how to grow them. Strawberries go so well with this! Hit the Google pages for some incredible recipes!

Question: I have just harvested a huge amount of rhubarb, should I cut off the green bits? I've just harvested a whole load of rhubarb from my garden that has been growing for a while. Some of the pieces I took are very thick and they are red with some green. I obviously have to cut off the leaves, but how much of the stalk should I cut off? ie. Can I use the green bits or should I just use the red bits of the stalk? I want to make jams, crumble and rhubarb vodka with it. Thanks.

Answer: Use equal amounts of each, that way there is no waste & the red colour will permeate all the way through.

Question: Tips on growing rhubarb? Space, soil, watering, Can I grow it in a pot? I plan only to plant about two rhubarb plants, and I have a small 3' by 3' garden. Can I plant rhubarb in it with the intention that it won't take up the entire garden? Can I grow at least one plant in a large pot?

Answer: Potted Rhubarb needs more care than Rhubarb in the ground. You could try growing your Rhubarb in a pot of compost. It will grow in a position with plenty of sun if you give the plants plenty of water and fertiliser during the warmer months. Another method of growing Rhubarb is to force it under a pot. This is a simple process that provides an earlier harvest of sweeter stems that don't need peeling. For forcing outdoors, cover plants with a container or large pot to exclude the light as soon as it begins to show signs of growth. You could have a look at this website for more tips on growing rhubarb http://www.heyne.com.au/gardencentre/fac…

Question: how long is rhubarb good to pick from the garden?

Answer: I hope you check out this link. It has a ton of information on rhubarb. http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/

Question: how small do you cut your rhubarb to make anything with it?? I have a rhubarb plant in my garden and want to make a pie from it. when do I cut it and how small do I chop the pieces to make a pie with?

Answer: From 1-0.75 inches thick, but steer clear of the leaves and the bottom third of the stem bit, they're toxic I think.

Question: Has anyone ever had Rhubarb pie? Is it good, I remember eating Rhubarb out of my grandparents garden but have never had the pie and I have been hearing about it alot lately, any one know if it is good or not?

Answer: OMG YES it is the best! i have not had a rhurbarb pie in years!! rhurbarb and stawberry pie is also to die for!!

Question: where can I buy some rhubarb crowns on line? I live in Coffs harbour NSW and garden suppliers around here don't seem to sell rhubarb crowns. Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer: well here is a place in australia that supplies online orders to nsw australia

Question: How do i get rid of Rhubarb? We are currently sorting our garden out (recently moved in) and we have come across rhubarb and have tried without success to get rid of it. We are anxious to get rid of this as we want to lay turf over it. I have heard it is very difficult to get rid of. Has anyone had any success at getting rid of this once and for all?

Answer: pack it up and send it to me,either that or i'll come and camp in your garden,i love rhubarb :-)

Question: rhubarb, raw out of the garden, will it cure aything?

Answer: cotton mouth :)~

Question: How do you make a big garden more managable for an elderly person? My family, especially my dad look after my great grandmothers garden but through no fault of our own we really struggle to upkeep it as it's really large and needs a lot of work, she's unable to do it herself and hence me looking for some ideas to make it more manageable but still look good. It's currently all hedged round the boundaries and mostly grass with a few plots where my great gran still grows a few things, like strawberries and rhubarb xxxx

Answer: Cut back the hedges really hard,almost to ground level.Regrowth will be soft and easily manageable,trim with a power trimmer once a year. Make raised beds using old railway sleepers,breeze blocks or similar material for those plants which are being grown.The walls wil provide seats while working on the plants. Lay the beds out in a geometrical pattern,so the grass forms paths between them and can be mowed as little as possible.Wild flowers will then form a meadow on the paths and need little maintenance.

Question: Advice on growing rhubarb for consumption in domestic garden please? I planted a rhubarb plant last year and was told to wait a year before cuttingit to eat. In the meantime it has attracted slugs which I have repelled with some blue pellets (although they don't work very well!) When and how should I cut the rhubarb to eat and will it be safe to eat after having had insecticide near it? I suppose we don't see half of what goes on to the food we buy in the supermarket! My father used to grow a lot of vegetables and fruit and from memory, I think rhubarb was cut in autumn...

Answer: it is useful to know whether your rhubarb is the variety that has red stalks or green - with the red one it is easier to tell when it is ready. Pick when the stalk is about 10 - 12 inches long, and cut off all the leaf with the top of the stalk (leaves are poisonous). Wash thoroughly. i find that adding an apple when you cook it makes it go further! I add sugar to taste as it cooks. Insecticide won't hurt unless it is very recent (same day) The plant will die back each year but come again, getting bigger each year. enjoy it

Question: How do I prepare lilacs for winter also rhubarb. Winters are harsh? I transplanted them from my mother's garden - warned them if they didn't bloom I would hack down - this was in 5th year. They bloomed this year. I have cut off the dried flowers -- now what? Fertilize, work around base? I don't recall what Mom did but she was able to make anything bloom. I jus watered them til they finally bloomed. The same question applies for rhubarb -- do I fertilize, cut back wilted brown looking stalks? I have been unable to find answers to this dilemma in all my books!!! Thanks

Answer: Lilacs are pretty hardy - not much you need to do there - it is good to fertilize lightly in the spring - wood ash or check out Miracid (it's like Miracle Gro, but it's for flowering plants and shrubs). Rhubarb likes a rich soil that is loose and not compacted and drains fairly well. What happens with rhubarb is that, at the base, it forms a crown. After a few seasons or so it is good to dig up the crowns, roots and all, in the spring, loosen up the soil really good and deep and add lots of fresh soil, like "composted" cow manure (not fresh, since that burns the plants) and split the crowns in half, thirds or quarters and replant, spreading out your rhubarb patch or row as you go. You can wait until the rhubarb "sprouts" in the spring, before you dig them up, so you can create strong new plants for replanting, but you shouldn't wait too long, so the new plants won't experience too much shock when replanted.

Question: Rhubarb dessert recipes? Does anyone have any good recipes for a rhubarb dessert. My Rhubarb is fresh in my garden and I want to use it.

Answer: Sounds yummy! The links I have sent have more recipes in case you want to look for something different. Hope you enjoy these:-)) Rhubard Upside Down Cake Ingredients: Cake: 1/2 cup sugar teaspoon cinnamon 1-1/2 tablespoons dry tapioca 4 cups rhubarb, cut in 9 inch pieces 2 cups biscuit mix 2/3 cup milk 4 tablespoons sugar 1 egg Topping: 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons allspice 3 tablespoons sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Mix sugar, tapioca and cinnamon together in a medium mixing bowl. Toss them with diced rhubarb and pour everything into a greased 8" x 8-1/2" glass baking dish. Mix the biscuit mix, milk, sugar and egg together thoroughly and spread it on top of the rhubarb mixture. Bake it at 350F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the biscuit top comes out clean. Serve it warm and place each piece upside down on a plate, then add topping. To make topping:Pour cold milk into a small heavy saucepan. Add the butter and flour, stirring them with a wooden spoon until the flour has dissolved. Cook it over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened. Add the allspice and sugar. Cool the topping until it is warm and pour it over each piece of the upside down cake. http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/1513… Storage: Remove leaves and roots. Do not wash before refrigerating. Store in wrapped in plastic wrap for up to one week for best flavor, though it will keep longer. Preparation: Trim ends and chop. You may want to peel large stalks, though this is not necessary. This also removes rhubarb's color. To freeze rhubarb, wash and cut into 1" pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add rhubarb to water for 1 minute. Pour into colander to drain. Then soak in ice water in sink until cool. Place in freezer bags, being sure to remove excess air. Freeze for up to one year. Alternatively, rhubarb may be canned. Recipes: Rhubarb can be used in place of apples in crisps and cakes, and is often baked into pies. It is seasoned similarly to apples, with cinnamon and nutmeg. However, cardamom and ginger also go well with rhubarb. Rhubarb also can be made into chutneys and other sauces to accompany poultry. Gerry Walter's Rhubarb Pie Cake This recipe actually began as apple pie-cake, but Gerry says rhubarb, peaches, even blueberries work, too, with appropriate minor adjustments of sugar and spices. 5 cups rhubarb 1-1/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cardamom 1/2 cup chopped nuts Place rhubarb in bottom of greased pan. ("I'm learning this year that a 12" round stone baking dish about 2" deep does a really good job, but smaller, deeper pans or dishes work fine as long as they're not aluminum and can hold all this stuff. I used to use a 9 x 9 pan to good effect."-Gerry) Mix sugar and spices and pour over rhubarb. 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 3/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup evaporated milk 3 Tbsp water 1 egg 1/2 cup melted butter Mix rest of ingredients and pour over rhubarb. Bake 1 hour (or so) at 325 degrees F. Rhubarb Fool 1 lb. rhubarb trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 tsp ground mace 3 Tbsp orange liqueur or additional orange juice 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt In a non-aluminum saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, and mace to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Partially cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is very soft and mushy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the liqueur. Let the puree cool completely. In four stemmed goblets or dessert dishes, or a large salad bowl if you don't want individual servings, alternate two or three layers of the yogurt and rhubarb mixture. Gently cut through the layers with a knife, swirling it to create a marble-like pattern. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie piecrust for 2 crust pie (1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable shortening is good) 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 3 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca (not the pre-made pudding) 1/4 t. salt 1/2 t. cinnamon or more to taste 1/4 t. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best) or more to taste 3 1/2 cup rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces 1 cup sliced strawberries Mix above together to coat fruit and let stand 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Place bottom crust in 9" pie plate. Prick with fork. Fill crust with fruit mixture. Sprinkle with 1 T. butter cut up. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges. Cut slit in center. Bake 45 to 60 minutes. Alternatively, make individual tarts using a bottom crust and no top crust. Rhubarb Custard Pie piecrust for 9" pie (top and bottom) 3 eggs 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. milk 2 c. granulated sugar 4 Tbsp. flour 3/4 t. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best) 4 c. rhubarb 1 Tbsp. butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Place bottom crust in 9" pie plate. Prick with fork. Chill. Beat eggs, add milk. Mix together sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir into eggs. Add rhubarb, stir. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with 1 T. butter cut up into small pieces. Cover with top crust. Can use a lattice crust, if desired. Crimp edges. Cut slit in center if not using lattice. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Rhubarb Crisp/Crunch 1 c. flour 1/2 c. melted butter 1 1/4 c. uncooked oats 3/4 c. plus 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed 1 tsp. cinnamon dash to 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best) 5 c. of rhubarb or other tart fruit (apples, gooseberries, or combination) 1 c. sugar 1 c. water 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Mix first six ingredients together in a bowl. Press half of mixture into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish. Cover with fruit. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat until thickened. Pour over fruit. Bake for one hour. Rhubarb Relish for Poultry 2 cups diced rhubarb 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 t. grated orange zest 2/3 c. orange juice 1/4 t. freshly grated ginger root 1/2 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 1 1/2 shallots, minced Combine in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grilled poultry. http://www.prairienet.org/pcsa/recipes/r… http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/all/ar… Coconut Crumb Belinda Myers, Dallastown, PA Rhubarb Mascot Ingredients Crust 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter floured Crisco 7-8 tablespoons ice water Rhubarb Filling 6 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into cubes 1-1/4 cups sugar 1/3 cup flour 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1-1/2 teaspoons coconut extract Crumb Topping 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 cup soft butter 2/3 cup flaked coconut Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. To Make Crust: In a large bowl cut Crisco into the flour and salt until coarse crumbs form. Gradually add the ice water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide the dough in half. Roll out on a flavored surface, one inch larger than a 9-inch pie pan. Place into pie pan and crimp edges. Use remaining dough for another crust, or for decorative cut-outs. To Make Crumb Topping: Place the sugar, flour, butter and flaked coconut in a bowl and mix together with a pastry blender, until mixture becomes crumbly and well blended. To Make Pie: In a large bowl, mix cubed Rhubarb with sugar, flour, cornstarch, and coconut extract. Toss well, and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Pour into prepared pie shell. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400°F. oven for 40 minutes. Remove pie from oven and lower temperature to 375°F. Sprinkle Crumb Topping evenly over top of pie and return to oven. Bake at 375°F. for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 1st Place Cake Division Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake Lynn Dohne, Lancaster PA Ingredients 5 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces 3/4 cup sugar 1 (regular size) package strawberry gelatin 2 cups mini marshmallows 1 package yellow cake mix that needs oil Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rhubarb pieces in a 9x13� pan. Pour sugar over rhubarb, then pour the gelatin over the sugar. Place marshmallows over top of gelatin. Mix yellow cake according to packager directions and pour over top of marshmallows. Bake at 350° until the cake is done, about 45 to 55 minutes. 1st Place Dessert Division Rhubarb Sweet and Sour Cherry-barb Crunch Terry Davidson, Leola, PA Ingredients Crunch Mixture 1 cup flour 3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces 1 teaspoon cinnamon Filling 1 can cherry pie filling Fresh Rhubarb, cut into pieces 2 tablespoons tapioca 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and blend thoroughly. Press half of the mixture into a greased 9x13" pan to create a bottom crust. Set other half of crunch mixture aside. Pour the cherry pie filling into a large bowl. Save can. Dice enough rhubarb to fill the can heaping full. Add the rhubarb, tapioca and vanilla extract to the cherry pie filling and stir until well mixed. Spread over the bottom crust. Sprinkle the remaining crunch mixture over the top, making sure to get the mixture to all the edges and corners. Bake at 350° for 1 hour http://www.kitchenkettle.com/events/rhub…

Question: HOW is rhubarb affected if I cut the flowering stalk off now? Should I leave it grow? We only have one huge rhubarb plant. and it produces more plants along the root system. I usually dig up those little plants and give them to friends for their gardens. WE DO WANT the rhubarb branches for pies and ... more pies.

Answer: If you cut it off it will put more energy into the plant itself and ones for your friends.