The Rural Voice, 2001-05, Page 36.III , .
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Rhubarb: The pick
of the patch
It may be sour but rhubarb provides one of the
sweet delights of spring
Story and photo by Linda Gabris
Rhubarb, which is a perennial herb native to Northern
Asia and a member of the buckwheat family, was evidently
a popular plant in the gardens of early settlers across the
country, too! Often, I have stumbled upon a forlorn patch
of rhubarb still thriving amongst the rotting boards of old
homesteads and behind the tumbled down shacks of
grown -in ghost towns. One of the reasons for rhubarb's
popularity, no doubt, is because it is an exceptionally hardy
plant that is easy to grow.
Transplanting by the division method — lifting a crown
early in springtime and splitting it in half then replanting
both parts — makes it a plant that's ideal for sharing from
garden to garden. And once rhubarb takes root it seems to
thrive forever needing little or no pampering.
Another reason rhubarb has
always been so well respected
is because it is one of the
garden's first springtime
offerings much appreciated
when little else is available. On
top of that, a patch of pieplant
will supply a cook with enough
fruit for special treats all
summer long with plenty left
over for putting up for winter
use, too! In cooler regions
across North America that have shorter growing seasons
than more temperate areas, rhubarb offers a readily
available "fruit" that's quick to bear, taking the place of
harder to cultivate tree fruits like apple and plum.
Although it is believed that there are over 80 different
varieties of rhubarb, the genus contains about 20 species,
some of the more popular types being McDonald,
Valentine, German White, Ruby and Canada Red — the
last two sometimes referred to as strawberry rhubarb. The
stalks in varieties like Canada Red are more pinkish in
color than those of German White or other types that might
have been growing "wild" or unattended for several
seasons.
Green stalked rhubarb is hardier than red stalked plant,
but the redder varieties are more preferred as they have a
milder "strawberry -like" taste.
My Grandmother always said that the best eating
rhubarb comes from patches that are picked from often, her
theory being that pruning by picking produces sweeter,
more tender stalks. Rhubarb have strong, branching stems
that can reach up to about six feet in height. Each fleshy
stalk — the edible part of rhubarb which I called "sour
Fregently thought of mostly for pies.
rhubarb can also be used for preserves
(left) and drinks like Rhubarb Quencher.
•
When I was a girl, my favourite dessert was a thick
wedge of Grandmother's delicious pucker pie
crowned with a spoon of fresh sweet cream. Even
today, when given choice, I think I'd still opt for this
humble treat above all else.
I like pucker pies so much —as soon as the snow begins
to melt away from the shady corner of my backyard
garden, I start hovering over my pieplant patch with eager
anticipation. Once I spot a bunch of coned -shaped little red
heads poking up in the moist, fertile soil, I know that a
mouthwatering pucker pie is just around the corner.
Pucker pies — as I've always fondly called them with
pursed lips — are flaky pie crusts bubbling over with tart
filling of pieplant which is more commonly known as
rhubarb. In the rural backyards of my younger days, hearty
patches of rhubarb were a welcome sight as familiar as
woodpiles, clothesline stands and backhouses. Year round,
this plentiful plant offered all kinds of good eatin' to folks
who — out of necessity due to locale — relied upon being
as self-sufficient as possible.
32 THE RURAL VOICE