This is my first year harvesting rhubarb and I have a question.
Last night I picked a few stalks of rhubarb for another batch of rhubarb vanilla jam. There are still another 15 stalks left on the plant. Do I pick them all, or leave some behind? Now that I’ve found a couple of really good recipes for rhubarb I want to be sure and harvest as much rhubarb as I can, but I also don’t want to kill my plant either.
If you know the answer please leave a comment. Thanks!!
I have met my match.
My neighbor girl helped in the garden yesterday setting out gnomes and picking peas. Do you see how she organized them in the wooden crate? I sent her mom a text message and told her I though a career in organization was in her future.
The strawberries we have growing in gutters are still rolling in. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many strawberry shortcakes before in my life for dinner.
I am happy to pick my own {small} homegrown strawberries a million times over before I’d buy those giant pumped up strawberries they sell in the grocery stores that are shipped in from who knows where.
Bigger, is’t always better. That’s for sure.
How is YOUR garden growing? What have you been harvesting from your garden lately?
Mavis wants to know! 😉
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Dawn says
I am totally growing strawberries and bush beans in gutters on my fence next year. Such a great idea! I could use a space saver like that.
Carol says
Enjoy your weekend, Mavis! I have two little strawberry plants growing in a small strawberry pot…there is a tiny green berry on one of the plants and I’m so happy!
My question is, are spiders ever allowed to remain on plants? I have a wolf spider who thinks the strawberry pot was put out for him (her?). I have been clearing away the webs as I find them, but I wondered if they don’t eat the plant, should I just leave this larger spider alone….they do eat bugs. Any info from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks!
Jen says
I pull out all the bigger stalks & leave the smaller to continue growing. If they’re all big, I take them all. It hasn’t seemed to harm the plant any. If I leave big stalks on they just end up getting spongy an not use able. I store mine chopped & flash frozen in freezer bags. Use in green smoothies mostly! And our oatmeal breakfast bars as an addin.
Shelah Phillipsen says
I don’t grow rhubarb but my mom did in the past and she loved this website
http://www.rhubarb-central.com/harvesting-rhubarb.html
Happy growing Mavis and happy Friday!! I love the organized peas! What a smart girl!
Sherry in Sumner says
Mavis,
I have heard that you should leave a couple of stalks on your rhubarb plant, so that’s what I’ve done and it’s always come back full the following year. It sounds like you can pick a few more.
Jen says
I’m hooked on the Victorian Rhubarb BBQ Sauce out of the 2012 Ball Completely Guide to Home Preserving. I’ve made four batches so far this year, it’s that good. Hoping to save some for the winter too, but we all know how that goes.
Rhubarb, raisins, onion, vinegar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt – water bathf or 15mins. So simple.
Sara says
Yum Try This insteak of your cake you will love this
Rhubard Cream Pie in a mason jar
5-6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
2 tablespoons water
1/2 – 2/3 cup sugar or to taste (remember that the gelatin powder will add some sweetness)
2 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder
3 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 package (4 serving size) white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream
Slightly sweetened Whipped Cream and fresh strawberries for garnish
Combine rhubarb and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring well.
Turn heat down to simmer and cook until rhubarb is soft, stirring once or twice.
Add sugar and gelatin powder and continue to simmer, stirring, until gelatin granules are completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool until cold.
Combine graham wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter to make crumbs.
Divide crumbs evenly between 6 half pint mason jars, spooning them lightly into the bottom of each jar. Set aside while you make the filling
Combine pudding powder, milk and cream in a large mixing bowl
Beat until thick.
Spoon 1 cup of the cold rhubarb sauce into a small dish and set aside.
Fold 1 cup sauce into pudding/cream mixture, until sauce is completely incorporated. (Save any remaining sauce as an ice cream topping.)
Place 1/2 cup rhubarb/cream filling over crumbs in each mason jar.
Divide the reserved 1 cup rhubarb sauce among the 6 mason jars, spreading the sauce evenly to the edges of each jar.
Divide remaining cream filling among jars spreading carefully over rhubarb sauce.
Screw tops on jars and refrigerate until serving time.
To serve, open jars and top each with a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.
Teresa says
Pick some and wait for more to be ready. What kind of rhubarb is that? Mine is not fully red but I wish it was. I planted strawberry rhubarb but its only partially red. Thanks!
Sakura says
I read that you should not cut your rhubarb but twist it off at the base. Of course I read this after I cut all my rhubarb off!
Mary says
My grandmother taught me to always leave at least two stalks on each plant, which I’ve always done and we harvest multiple times per season off the same plants… She also said you can’t possible put too much manure on rhubarb plants… the more manure, the thicker the stalks… She prided herself in having great color and thick stalks… Not enough manure and the nutrition often goes to the leaves and short, thin stalks… I love all my grandmother taught me… She was amazing!
Cecily says
In my Tacoma garden I’ve been picking beets, carrots, peas, kale, green onions, basil, spinach and lettuces and I harvested my garlic. I have about a zillon green tomatoes on my plants and will likely have ripe cherry tomatoes around the fourth of July (if I can keep the chickens off them)!
Elizabeth says
You should always pull out the stalks, don’t cut them. I’ve never needed to twist them. They’ve always pulled straight out easily. I always leave a few smaller stalks. Also make sure to pull out any bolting stalks. The plant will continue to produce unless the bolting stalk is allowed to grow. Mine in Everett, Washington sometimes come back for a second season later in the summer. My mother’s and grandmother’s plants (also in Everett) sometimes produce all summer long.
Kristi says
Just a quick question, I did the strawberries in gutters this year, and the top two rows are doing great, but the bottom one, all four plants died. I think got water logged from the excess from the two above? maybe? Thoughts?
Erika says
Home-grown strawberries are totally the best! We’ve got a bunch of plants and my kids go out every day and browse. I’m lucky when they remember to bring me a few to share!
Heidi says
I’m swimming in sugar peas as well. Skipped picking them for two days….big mistake. They’ve taken over. I wish I could find more uses for them. Next year I will cut back on how many I grow.
Today I harvested the last of my cauliflower, broccoli, some carrots, radishes, beets and walla walla onions.
I made a chopped veggie salad for today. Earlier in the week I made homemade ranch dressing (pioneer womans cookbook) & tossed some with the vegetables. Super duper yummy. I roasted the beets and I think I’ve found a new favorite veggie.
Thanks for all of the great inspiration. It truly is cool to grow your own food.
suzanne says
I picked them (rhubarb) clean last month for vino they are big and bushy again. At work I have to pick clean at the end of every June and feed with a high nitrogen fertilizer just to tidy up the plant and have it looking good for open houses. It starts to regrow in a few days.
Mavis says
Rhubarb wine? Wow, that is adventurous!
Laura says
Nothin’ but onions and asparagus from our garden so far this year! That’s life in Canada, I guess. I’m pining for a longer growing season!
Laura says
Oh, but lots of rhubarb!
Cheryl says
You are absolutely right when you said “bigger isn’t always better.” We’ve been growing jalapenos for the last 2 years and they don’t get very big but they sure have a kick to them. Whereas the grocery store sells the big ones and they hardly have any heat. Mavis, you sure give me the motivation to keep trying new things in my garden!
Tiffany says
Rhubarb Granita
Easier and icier than sorbet
4cups roughly chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
In wide pot cook rhubarb sugar salt and 2.5 cups water over medium heat, stirring and mashing with spoon until rhubarb turns to mush
Pour mixture through stainer into bowl rub mush with spoon to get as most rhubarb as possible
Transfer to shallow pan and freeze until firm, stirring and scraping with fork every hour if possible for 4 hours( to create the large slow melting ice crystals, you want in a granita)
Scrape up granita with fork and spoon into bowls
Sarah says
Those gutter berries look awesome! We did gutter strawberries too but they haven’t done well. What is the secret? We also did berries in hulled out logs as a hugelkultur and they’ve done much better.
Mavis says
I water them a little every day. 🙂
Maria says
Hi Mavis
I really like your ideas with food and gardening.
I live in Sweden and I have rhubarb that we eat all summer. I just take what I need for the day and new stalks will always come. Before autumn I cut of all stalks and put in my freezer so we can have rhubard/strawberry pie whenever we want in the winter.
Mandy P says
I agree with pulling all the big stalks; don’t cut them. Some folks will use the leaves as a tent to protect the new little stalks but I don’t know if that is necessary. That is some great looking rhubarb you’ve got growing there!
Jamie says
Mavis,
What kind of strawberries do you grow? The farmer I bought mine from said mine were ever bearing but they only produced once this spring and no more since then. Am I doing something wrong? I have been cutting off some of the runners that I don’t want to replant.