RHUBARB: More than an umbrella
Rhubarb gets suuuuuch a bad rap! And if you haven't heard of rhubarb, here's what you usually get told:
"It's sour."
"It only goes with strawberries, so why bother growing it?"
"Rhubarb...that's the thing old people eat."
"Isn't that the plant that's so big you can use is it as an umbrella? That's all it's good for, right?"
OH GUYS.
Sweet summer children.
NO.
Rhubarb is a wonderful, delicious desert food and it's not old fashioned OR a backwoods fashion statement, I swear!
"It's sour."
"It only goes with strawberries, so why bother growing it?"
"Rhubarb...that's the thing old people eat."
"Isn't that the plant that's so big you can use is it as an umbrella? That's all it's good for, right?"
OH GUYS.
Sweet summer children.
NO.
Rhubarb is a wonderful, delicious desert food and it's not old fashioned OR a backwoods fashion statement, I swear!
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable and it's also very VERY sour when not cooked.
Was I told this beforehand?
Yes.
Did I take a big ol' bite of my raw rhubarb to test this statement?
YOU BET.
Yes, it's EXTREMELY sour. But throw in a bit of sugar and OMG IT'S FREAKING DELICIOUS.
So why grow rhubarb, you ask?
How about because it's delicious and if you get caught in a freak rainstorm it really can act as an umbrella (pretty handy right!?). Now, when I first grew rhubarb I was told that:
A) it's hard to grow from seed
B) it couldn't grow in California
and
C) It didn't do well in pots.
OH. OH REALLY?
If you know me even a little, you'll know that those three things are the exact things you say to make me PROVE YOU WRONG.
Was I told this beforehand?
Yes.
Did I take a big ol' bite of my raw rhubarb to test this statement?
YOU BET.
Yes, it's EXTREMELY sour. But throw in a bit of sugar and OMG IT'S FREAKING DELICIOUS.
So why grow rhubarb, you ask?
How about because it's delicious and if you get caught in a freak rainstorm it really can act as an umbrella (pretty handy right!?). Now, when I first grew rhubarb I was told that:
A) it's hard to grow from seed
B) it couldn't grow in California
and
C) It didn't do well in pots.
OH. OH REALLY?
If you know me even a little, you'll know that those three things are the exact things you say to make me PROVE YOU WRONG.
I PRESENT TO YOU, EXHIBIT A:
That beautiful plant is my rhubarb! I stated it from seed (easily), I planted it in a large pot. And I've had it for 3 years. This is the most recent pic of my rhubarb, LOOK HOW HAPPY IT IS. LOOK HOW HEALTHY.
And another fun fact? Just today, I saw that not one, but TWO leaves facing the wrong direction.
"That's weird." I said to my plant. I inspected it closer. "Why are you growing so far from the center?"
It turns out that it has made 2 new baby plants! WHAAAAT!? Obviously I must now research how to safely take the two plantlings out and put them in new containers.
But I proved the critics wrong and THEN some!
So here's some tips for growing rhubarb in Southern California:
- Only put it in dappled sun. Too much shade will kill it as fast as full sun will here.
- Get a gallon pot or slightly larger
- Keep the soil damp. It doesn't like to be dried out. I actually have to water mine almost every day. It'll let you know if it needs water because all of the stems will flop outward and look sad.
- Every once in a while give it some compost or fertilizer
Now, some of the misconceptions is that rhubarb is bright red. Some varities are. But most are green or pale red/pink like this:
And another fun fact? Just today, I saw that not one, but TWO leaves facing the wrong direction.
"That's weird." I said to my plant. I inspected it closer. "Why are you growing so far from the center?"
It turns out that it has made 2 new baby plants! WHAAAAT!? Obviously I must now research how to safely take the two plantlings out and put them in new containers.
But I proved the critics wrong and THEN some!
So here's some tips for growing rhubarb in Southern California:
- Only put it in dappled sun. Too much shade will kill it as fast as full sun will here.
- Get a gallon pot or slightly larger
- Keep the soil damp. It doesn't like to be dried out. I actually have to water mine almost every day. It'll let you know if it needs water because all of the stems will flop outward and look sad.
- Every once in a while give it some compost or fertilizer
Now, some of the misconceptions is that rhubarb is bright red. Some varities are. But most are green or pale red/pink like this:
When I first grew my rhubarb it was all green stalks, 3 years in and it looks a lot like the above picture!
So what can you make and mix with rhubarb besides strawberry-rhubarb jam?
LET ME GIVE YOU A LIST:
- Raspberries
- Apples
- Coconut
- Pears
- Almonds
- Gooseberries
- Cakes
- Pies
- Hand pies
- Breads
- Yogurt
- Rhubarb Curd
And so much more! But yeah, it doesn't go just with strawberries okay!? My favorite paring so far is apple-rhubarb pie, but I'm really looking forward to making rhubarb curd and a gooseberry-rhubarb Fool.
But I want to convince you to eat rhubarb. I want you to love it! So I'm going to give you a rhubarb-apple pie filling. Make it for Thanksgiving! Make it because it's Wednesday! Make it because you like pie!
BUT SERIOUSLY. MAKE IT.
And no, I won't include a crust recipe because you're just going to look at it and say "mine/my mom's/my great-great grandmother Betty Lou's is better". I get it. So here's the filling, use your own crust recipe! I like using the Lattice design for the top, but you do you!
You can thank me by sending me pics (and your undying love) of the pie you make!
RHUBARB APPLE PIE FILLING
3 CUPS fresh, diced rhubarb
3 LARGE apples, cored and sliced (Note: I use granny smith because I LOVE tart things, but if you want a nice balance, do 1 granny smith and 2 sweeter ones like Gala or Honey Crisp)
1/2 CUP brown sugar (and a small dash of white. Literally just take a handful and throw it in)
1/4 CUP flour
1 TABLESPOON Cinnamon
So what can you make and mix with rhubarb besides strawberry-rhubarb jam?
LET ME GIVE YOU A LIST:
- Raspberries
- Apples
- Coconut
- Pears
- Almonds
- Gooseberries
- Cakes
- Pies
- Hand pies
- Breads
- Yogurt
- Rhubarb Curd
And so much more! But yeah, it doesn't go just with strawberries okay!? My favorite paring so far is apple-rhubarb pie, but I'm really looking forward to making rhubarb curd and a gooseberry-rhubarb Fool.
But I want to convince you to eat rhubarb. I want you to love it! So I'm going to give you a rhubarb-apple pie filling. Make it for Thanksgiving! Make it because it's Wednesday! Make it because you like pie!
BUT SERIOUSLY. MAKE IT.
And no, I won't include a crust recipe because you're just going to look at it and say "mine/my mom's/my great-great grandmother Betty Lou's is better". I get it. So here's the filling, use your own crust recipe! I like using the Lattice design for the top, but you do you!
You can thank me by sending me pics (and your undying love) of the pie you make!
RHUBARB APPLE PIE FILLING
3 CUPS fresh, diced rhubarb
3 LARGE apples, cored and sliced (Note: I use granny smith because I LOVE tart things, but if you want a nice balance, do 1 granny smith and 2 sweeter ones like Gala or Honey Crisp)
1/2 CUP brown sugar (and a small dash of white. Literally just take a handful and throw it in)
1/4 CUP flour
1 TABLESPOON Cinnamon
2 TEASPOONS Allspice & Nutmeg
1/2 TEASPOON ground cloves
PINCH OF SALT (you chose on how many pinches. I usually do 1 to 2 good shakes of my sea salt shaker)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 Celsius)
Combine all of these ingredients together and let it rest while you make your pie crust. Unless of course you cheated and you bought a pie crust. Then you'll just have to wait a good 15 minutes while the fruit sweats. That's right, it's sweating you're not. I see what you did there.
Once you've waited, throw your filling into your pie crust and top it with whatever cute design you want. Put tin foil around the edges to protect them from turning black. Bake for 25 minutes then take the tinfoil off and bake for anther 30 minutes, the middle should be bubbling and the crust golden brown.
Then let it rest for a bit (I know, it'll be hard to wait) AND THEN DIG IN!
How about you guys!? Have you ever eaten rhubarb or grown it? Got any recipes to share with us!? Leave them in the comments below so I can make them! And don't be afraid of rhubarb, it's yummy, I promise!
1/2 TEASPOON ground cloves
PINCH OF SALT (you chose on how many pinches. I usually do 1 to 2 good shakes of my sea salt shaker)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 Celsius)
Combine all of these ingredients together and let it rest while you make your pie crust. Unless of course you cheated and you bought a pie crust. Then you'll just have to wait a good 15 minutes while the fruit sweats. That's right, it's sweating you're not. I see what you did there.
Once you've waited, throw your filling into your pie crust and top it with whatever cute design you want. Put tin foil around the edges to protect them from turning black. Bake for 25 minutes then take the tinfoil off and bake for anther 30 minutes, the middle should be bubbling and the crust golden brown.
Then let it rest for a bit (I know, it'll be hard to wait) AND THEN DIG IN!
How about you guys!? Have you ever eaten rhubarb or grown it? Got any recipes to share with us!? Leave them in the comments below so I can make them! And don't be afraid of rhubarb, it's yummy, I promise!
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