Rhubarb Roundup

I love that rhubarb is ready to harvest just about the time when we plant the garden. It’s so nice to get to harvest something so early while trying (sometimes more successfully than others) to be patient waiting for the seeds to start sprouting in the garden. I’m going to share a recipe right up top, then add a bit more about our rhubarb.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake:

               Preheat Oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13” pan

• Combine:
  • ½ c creamed butter
  • 1 ½ c sugar
  • 2 eggs (beaten in one at a time)
  • 1 c sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• Mix 2 c flour and 1 tsp baking soda
• Fold the flour and baking soda into the batter
• Stir in at least 3 c chopped rhubarb. I am always generous with this part
• Pour into pan and top with the crumble:
  • Crumble is:
    • ½ c brown sugar
    • 1 Tbsp flour
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp softened butter
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick or fork tines come back clean

With rhubarb the stalks should be twisted and pulled from the plant, not cut, so that the bud can regrow another stalk. Always cut the leaves off as they are toxic. Given that, we don’t compost the leaves, we put them in the burn pile. Our rhubarb has grown a bit too much and the crowns really need to be separated. I noticed this year that the stalks were all very skinny and spindly, and there were tons of them, but none of them were big and beefy like I would prefer. After some research, I discovered that they absolutely need to be divided to achieve a healthier production and happier plants. I will link to an extension article from Oregon State University below detailing best practices for dividing the rhubarb. After I harvest the stalks, I like to soak them in cold water before chopping. I’ve found it keeps the stalks nice and crisp so that I don’t end up accidentally peeling strings off when I’m chopping them up. For preservation I’ve found a few good ways that work for me: chopping and freezing (can flash freeze, don’t necessarily have to if there’s not a lot of excess water), canning, and adding it to jam. We made a delicious strawberry-rhubarb spread/jam last year that’s one of my favorites.

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-797-grow-your-own-rhubarb