Subject: Rhubarb
From: [email-masked] (Barry Carlson)
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 01:39:06 GMT

In response to Barry: [email-masked]

> We have recently moved into a home.  Among the plants sprouting in
> the garden this spring is rhubarb.  I have never grown or eaten
> rhubarb. Questions:

> 1) What parts are edible?

Only the stalks are edible.  Don't eat the leaves or roots.  During
World War I rhubarb leaves were recommended as a substitute for other
vegies that the war made unavailable.  Apparently there were cases of
accute poisoning and even some deaths.  My notes say: "Rhubarb
contains a highly irritant anthraquinone, a glycoside.  This compound
rather than the oxalates is the suspect." 

> 2) When should the edible parts be harvested?  

In my climate the time is right now.  If the plant is in good
condition you can keep picking until about the end of July.  After
that we stop so the plant has time to recover before the cold
weather.  If you have just newly planted rhubarb it is best to not
pick it at all the first year and only lightly the second year until
it gets well established.  Also, don't cut the rhubarb stalks from the
plant...snap them off.  They will come away quite easily and this is
much better for the plant.

> 3) What do I leave behind to assure a healthy plant next year?

We don't pick after July and I never leave a plant with less than
about three good stalks at any time.  If you want healthy plants you
should also feed them. Rhubarbs are "gross feeders" and will do much
better for you if they get a good manure mulch in the fall.

> 4) Any good recipes?

Any basic cookbook will have rhubarb recipes.  You can stew it with
sugar, bake it in a pie, make rhubarb crumble, etc., etc. I recommend
checking in to Usenet.rec.food.cooking which has had lots of nifty
rhubarb recipes go by lately.  I have found that any rhubarb plant
worth its salt always produces more rhubarb than we can ever manage to
use up in desserts, so my fallback position is make wine with the
stuff.  Have fun.  -Moira Carlson

From: [email-masked] (Steve Rehrauer)
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 20:17:01 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Barry Carlson) writes:

> Also, don't cut the rhubarb stalks from the plant...snap them off.
> They will come away quite easily and this is much better for the
> plant.

I grab a stalk right down where it emerges from the ground, and use a
sort of rocking, twisting motion.  Visualize snapping away a single
celery stalk from the bunch.

>3) What do I leave behind to assure a healthy plant next year?
>We don't pick after July and I never leave a plant with less than about three
>good stalks at any time.  If you want healthy plants you should also feed
>them. Rhubarbs are "gross feeders" and will do much better for you if they
>get a good manure mulch in the fall.

Mine get a fair amount of neglect (well, at least, the attention I
give them is probably not the kind they crave :-) and still thrive.
Very tough critters.  Incidentally, how far south is their range?
Mine wilt pretty quickly in summer heat here in central MA; can't
imagine that they'd do well in warmer climes.

>4) Any good recipes?
>Any basic cookbook will have rhubarb recipes.  You can stew it with sugar,
>bake it in a pie, make rhubarb crumble, etc., etc. I recommend checking in to
>Usenet.rec.food.cooking which has had lots of nifty rhubarb recipes go by
>lately.