Forced Rhubarb

GWN 1/23/2013, 6:48 pm

Not sure if anyone grows rhubarb out there, but this is a wonderful little video 3 mins long that is about an area of yorkshire where they have done this for many many years and sell it all over europe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/21049152

I have 4 plants but really have yet to see them produce much, everyone tells me that it is hard to kill and the plant I got all of mine from, went to many other people and none of them are gardeners and theirs are all thriving. I think I pay too much attention to them
This rhubarb looks very yummy

Nonna.PapaVino 1/23/2013, 7:35 pm

Wow! Never seen anything like that. My family has grown rhubarb for over 75 years, but I've never heard of forced rhubarb. Wonder what variety they are using. The kind I grow has brilliant red stems with a mild, sweet flavor, and a resistance to bolting. GWN, do you have any idea what variety you are growing? Do you compost it heavily every year? Each spring as it begins to sprout, we dump a couple of 5-gal. buckets of compost on each of our rhubarb plants. They reward us with all the rhubarb we desire, plus lots to share with friends and family. This year will be another year when the plants need dividing, so a large clump will go to live with my sister at their new home. Maybe I should pot some up in 5-gal. buckets and see if it would "force" in our basement. Fresh rhubarb in January would be really nice. Nonna

GWN 1/23/2013, 7:54 pm

Nonna
I believe my variety is strawberry.
Everyone raves about it.
I have to admit that I did NOT put a lot of compost on the plants, I did not have a lot, so I was kind of chincy...
Everyone said that nothing could kill a rhubarb, so I thought I would just ignore it.... but perhaps I need to give it more compost, or worm castings.

I have to admit it was so wonderful in the spring to see the tiny little rhubarb sprouts starting to shoot up, I had thought all the plants had died the year before.
OK so this will be the year. thanks

Nonna.PapaVino 1/23/2013, 10:16 pm

If you're short of compost, dump a bag of commercial steer or dairy manure compost on it. After all, it was scrapings from my grandparents' cattle/dairy barn that nourished their rhubarb! Good eating, that there rhubarb. Not too long ago, I found a pamphlet of rhubarb recipes at an end-of-the-Oregon-Trail museum. Amazing what you can do with this humble herb. Nonna

GWN 1/23/2013, 10:58 pm

Oh I am short on manure as well, but by spring I WILL find myself some.
It really is a matter of getting either a load delivered, OR getting our car, which has a small trailer in to a place that has horses.

Nonna.PapaVino 1/24/2013, 11:17 am

Horse, definitely horse if you can get it. They don't call it "road apples" for nothing. Can be used quite fresh, isn't too "hot" like chicken. We're lucky here, too: friends have horses, and the local compost/soil/bark dust company has organic dairy compost for sale. Good growing to you. Nonna

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