I’m quite fond of Rhubarb.
It’s quite possibly the easiest fruit, or vegetable, depending on how you view the world of produce, to grow. Lawn clippings are key though, so Grandma says. For a nice healthy and plentiful plant, be sure to place lawn clippings over the base of Rhubarb when growing it, to keep it nice and toasty. But even if you don’t do that, this is a plant that seems to thrive the more you ignore it. Basically one could not ignore a plant any more and the thing will still grow.
Right now Rhubarb is in ABUNDANCE (it truly is, hence the all caps) in Denmark. It’s arrived back in the supermarkets where you can find a small bunch for about 20kr. But if you’re lucky enough to have access to, or know someone or knows someone who has it growing in the garden, then now is the time to pay them a visit. Because Rhubarb, or Rabarber as the Danes call it, is going off right now. Kilos and kilos of the stuff is all around the country just waiting for you to harvest it. Try putting a notice in your local Facebook group to see if someone has some extra that they’d like to give away.
Denmark truly knows how to grow some monster sized rhubarb
In what I consider a true act of love, The Dane returned in the weekend with 10 kilograms of Rhubarb for me. Gift wrapped in one of those oversized grey rubbish bags, it was a monster delivery from friends with an over-performing Rhubarb patch. That’s him on the left. The Dane v’s The Rhubarb. The Rhubarb wins.
Growing up, Mum used to make Rhubarb Jam, she actually made all of our jam. The top cupboard in the kitchen was always filled with a years supply of jam made from the summer produce. It was a hell of a shock when I got a bit older and tasted shop brought stuff. And when I moved to London and no longer able to raid Mum’s jam cupboard it was one of the first recipes I asked her to send me, the Rhubarb jam recipe so I could make my own. It’s been a bit harder to make in Denmark as its taken me a while to find one of the star ingredients (crystallised ginger), but I’ve now found a supplier sartorvet.com - you can order online in either 1kg or 175gram packs (that’s not a sponsored link…that’s just a helpful link for those living in Denmark).
If you’re new to Rhubarb and unsure what to use it for, then here are a few ideas for you. If you’ve got others then share below.
HOW TO PREPARE RHUBARB
As tasty as Rhubarb is, it does have one small dark feature. Its leaves are poisonous and if you were to eat enough of them you’d get pretty sick. So all you need to remember is, DO NOT EAT THE LEAVES. EVER. Only the stalks are edible. So cut off the leaves and throw them away and then give the stalks a good wash.
You don’t need to peel Rhubarb. Just wash and chop and she’s ready to go.
It freezes really well, so if you find yourself with bumper crop, just wash and then cut into small pieces of 2cm/3cm width and pop in the freezer. I normally freeze in bags of 1 kilogram.
Wash it and chop it. That’s it.
RHUBARB JAM
500 grams rhubarb
500 grams sugar
100 grams crystallised ginger (if you’re in Denmark, click the link to see the shop I found to buy it from here)
500 grams figs
Cut rhubarb into 2-3 cms pieces and place into a large pot. Pour sugar on top. Cover and let it stand overnight.
The next day, add the chopped ginger and chopped figs and boil until it thickens.
Then place into clean, sterilized jars.
RHUBARB FOR BREAKFAST
Some like to call this rhubarb compote, which sounds rather posh, but I think it’s really no posher than plain old stewed rhubarb. Because that’s all it is (albeit with the addition of some vanilla or lemon zest perhaps). It’s a great addition to your morning muesli or with yoghurt. As a friend’s 4-year-old son said ‘It’s like having dessert for breakfast’.
To make….just wash and chop the rhubarb and place in a pot. I put the smallest fraction of water in the bottom, and then pour some sugar on top. I’ve never measured it…but if I was to guess maybe half a cup per 500 grams? Just pour, cook, taste and if it is still a bit sour for your liking you can add some more sugar to it. Once cooked you can store in the fridge or freezer.
RHUBARB & APPLE CRUMBLE
A good old favourite and perfect if you are entertaining as a dessert. Simply find a recipe for Apple Crumble and replace some of the apples with chopped Rhubarb (no need to cook the rhubarb or apples prior). Just chop rhubarb and apples, place in the bottom of a baking dish then spread the crumble topping on top and cook.
And those are my best suggestions of what to do with rhubarb. If you have other ones, then share them below…I want to hear them all….because I have about 4kgs in the fridge still to get through.