Category: Food Forest Garden Recipes

Rhubarb is a staple in our food forest garden. It is one of the first things to poke out its nose in the spring, with crinkly beautiful green and red leaves.

Two months later, the rhubarb is huge and I have been harvesting from it for a couple of weeks now. This year, three of the biggest plants are flowering (also known as “bolting”). Most people cut back these flowers because the plant puts so much energy into growing them instead of the edible stalks. My mom confessed to me she had never seen a rhubarb flower and she’s 81! We have nine vigorous plants and we decided to let them do their thing as an experiment. (So far the only thing interested in them are the ants.)

You can grown rhubarb from seed, but it’s easiest to plant “crowns”. Better yet is to get a division from a friend or neighbour – in order to maintain health and vitality, plants need to be divided every few years – we got all of ours from Justice’s mom.

You can use rhubarb in lots of ways: eat the stalks raw, pie, preserves, cakes, stewed. When harvesting, take a sharp knife with you. Pull the stalk from the crown and twist free. Cut the poisonous leaf off and drop as mulch around the plant (in permaculture and food forest garden circles this is sometimes called the “chop and drop” method).

We try to eat and use what is in the garden in season. Argh, that sounds so pretentious! I lived in Vancouver for twenty years and never gave much thought to seasonal eating. I just bought what I wanted when I wanted. This spring, I was lucky enough to have fresh grapefruit from my parents’ place in Palm Springs. No one was eating them and I didn’t want them to go to waste so I made a delicious rhubarb-grapefruit jam, (I was inspired by these two recipes: http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2008/06/chez-panisses-r.html and http://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2013/11/04/rhubarb-grapefruit-marmalade/)

Rhubarb-Grapefruit Jam recipe

2 pounds rhubarb (approximately 8 large stalks)
2 grapefruit (well washed)
4 cups sugar

1. Harvest rhubarb, discarding the leaves in the garden. Wash, pat dry and cut into ½ inch slices.
2. Using a reamer, juice both grapefruits, reserving the pith, membrane and seeds. These contain pectin and you can put them into a cheesecloth square to go into the pot.
3. Slice the grapefruit peel into little strips or chop finely, whichever you prefer. Both are nice.
4. Put the rhubarb, chopped zest, juice and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot. Let the mixture stand overnight (this allows the sugar to dissolve and the rhubarb to release its juice.)
5. Prepare five 250ml (8oz) canning jars and self-sealing lids in boiling water, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Put a small plate in the freezer to be used later to test the consistency of the jam. Bring the pot of fruit to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will bubble high up the sides of the pot. Skim off any light-colored foam collecting on the edges. (The foam is delicious in smoothies!)
6. Soon the jam will subside, still bubbling thickly. Stir frequently and make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. If it burns even slightly it affects the colour (although not the taste). Use a candy thermometer or start testing for consistency by putting small spoonful of jam on the cold plate.
7. When the jam has cooked to the thickness you want, turn off the heat and carefully ladle the jam into the prepared canning jars, allowing at least 1/4 inch of headroom. Seal with the lids according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The preserves will keep for 1 year.

Rhubarb Fun Facts:

Rhubarb leaves are toxic because of their high oxalic acid levels.

Rhubarb is used as a fruit, but really it’s a vegetable.

Rhubarb was grown and traded in China as early as the 16th century.

Rhubarb plants can be harvested for up to twenty years if managed well.