Latest news with #rhubarb
CBC
14-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Drink it, dip it or bake it — rhubarb season is here: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Whether tumbled with strawberries for pies, cooked down for sauces or chutneys, or simply eaten raw, dipped in sugar (or salt), rhubarb is here. The cold-hardy perennial vegetable — it's not a fruit — begins to grow when the soil temperature reaches about 10 C. Jeannette French of Lennox Farm in Melancthon, Ont., said the lingering winter and ice storms caused delays. "Usually we're done [harvesting field rhubarb] by the beginning of July. But this year, because it's been so cool, it's pushed the season back," French said. Lennox Farm was established in Etobicoke in the 1880s. They moved to Melancthon about a century later and have been growing forced rhubarb since 1916. Where once there were dozens of forced rhubarb growers in the province, many gave up after power rates spiked during the energy crisis in the 1970s. Brian and Jeannette French are Ontario's last commercial forced rhubarb growers. Forced vs field Today, field rhubarb is grown on just less than a third of Lennox Farm's 121 hectares, with five forcing sheds (greenhouses to grow off-season plants) growing forced rhubarb. They harvest 155 to 175 metric tonnes annually, or about half of Ontario's commercial crop, supplying restaurants and stores. Harvested from January to March or April, forced rhubarb grows in the dark, like white asparagus. Because the plant's sugars concentrate in the stalks it's often sweeter than field grown. "Rhubarb that's growing [in forcing sheds] is a nice bright pink or sometimes a reddish colour. The leaves are really tiny and yellow because photosynthesis isn't really taking place, so the chlorophyll is not in the leaves or in the stalk," said French. Garden stalks If you're looking to grow your own rhubarb and you're starting with new roots, plant in heavy, rich soil, and keep the soil fertilized and moist. Resist the urge to harvest for the first two or three years, to avoid stressing the root. Avoid companion planting with cucumbers, melons and sunflowers. Instead, rhubarb grows well with brassicas like broccoli and cabbage or herbs like chives and thyme. You can grow it alongside garlic as well. Rhubarb bolts send up astilbe-like flowers when temperatures rise above 20 C. Bolting can also happen if the plant is stressed or when it should be divided. To keep harvesting stalks, cut flower stems so the plant's energy focuses on stalks. A bit of crunch "It should hold firm," said Chef Darnell Gregg, executive chef at the Boathouse DTK. "By the time it starts getting a little bit soft and kind of flaccid looking, the best days are behind it.' He also suggested choosing rhubarb stalks with strong pink or green colouring, without brown spots. Leaves and flower stems contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous to people and animals, so discard them. If you're not using the rhubarb immediately, wash well, cut the ends and wrap them in damp toweling before refrigerating. And if you're looking for something to pair the rhubarb with other than strawberries, Gregg said to play off it's sour components. "Anywhere that you think about using something like a lemon ... you have the options of either adding sweetness like sugar to it, to tone down those things, or you add some acid ... and all of the sudden it becomes an amazing pickle for a charcuterie board." On the savoury side you can pickle rhubarb with ginger or mustard, to go with rich or fatty cheeses, meats or fish. You can also cook it with mint and basil. Consider adding pink peppercorn, fenugreek, cinnamon or cardamom if you're making chutneys or sauces. On the sweet side, roast it with sugar or make a thick syrup for ice cream or pancakes. Pour it in a glass Rhubarb juice can be drunk like lemonade or mixed into cocktails. Katrina Salmon, bar manager at Bardō Guelph, suggested making spritzes with rhubarb juice, but alcohol pairings could include gin, vodka or rum. She also said you can find inspiration in pie. "You could do [something] caramelly, if you want to use bourbon. A sour would be nice as well, it still has a richness, and it'll bring that little tart aspect," Salmon said. Katrina Salmon's Rhubarb Mule Cocktail 4 lime wedges 4 basil leaves 2 oz London dry gin 1 oz Rhubarb syrup Ice Ginger beer Muddle lime and basil in a tall Collins glass. Add gin, rhubarb syrup, and ice. Top with a splash of ginger beer. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel and fresh basil leaves.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
‘Crazy Easy' Rhubarb Crisp
Have you ever loved something so much that you give yourself false memories of it, implanting these beautiful but completely made-up moments into the narrative of your life? No? Just me? I am convinced that, in my childhood Santa Monica home, we grew rhubarb in the backyard. I feel as if I grew up with those sturdy stalks, making hiding places or hats out of their giant leaves and eating rhubarb pie, rhubarb tart, rhubarb compote. My mom eye-rollingly asserts that this was not the case. No matter! I'm making up for lost time now, as an adult, with round after round of rhubarb crisp. Mark Bittman's recipe is, in the words of a reader, 'crazy easy,' which partially explains that five-star rating. Another explanation is that his recipe really lets rhubarb shine; while strawberries and rhubarb are a classic pairing, the berries sit this one out so that rhubarb's sharp tartness can really sing. As is often the case with these classic New York Times Cooking recipes, you'll want to scroll through the reader comments for brilliant substitution and addition ideas. Some of my favorites: Mix a tablespoon or so of fresh herbs into the crumbly oat topping (lemon thyme!); add grated ginger to the sugared rhubarb; replace the citrus juice with Grand Marnier. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Slow-cooker garlic butter chicken: 'The seasoning of this rich garlic and herb braise is inspired by escargot butter, which famously makes everything delicious,' Sarah DiGregorio writes in the headnotes for her recipe. As such, please serve this with a carafe of wine and some accordion music. Dill pesto pasta with tuna: We love a recipe that uses up an entire bunch of herbs. Ham El-Waylly's fresh weeknight pasta calls for two cups of feathery dill fronds; save the stems for stock or for stuffing into the cavity of a roast chicken. Squid ink pasta: Remember how, in a previous newsletter, I shared my Sam Sifton-esque no-recipe spicy tomato seafood pasta situation? Kay Chun has kindly created an easy, perfectly calibrated recipe for exactly the dish I was trying to make. Thank you, Kay! Baked tofu: And now, a meal-prep moment. A batch of these savory, crispy-edged tofu cubes will yield easy protein to toss into salads, curries, stir-fries, grain bowls, scrambles — whatever you like. Kristina Felix uses tamari, as well as onion and garlic powders, to season the tofu; I might try some curry powder or garam masala.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Rhubarb with star anise, ginger, orange and labneh
Overview Prep time 10 mins Cook time 30 mins Serves 4 -6 Ingredients 700g rhubarb (get stalks that are roughly the same thickness) 65g granulated sugar 100g honey 200ml blood orange juice 2 broad strips of orange zest 2 slices of root ginger, about the thickness of a pound coin 1 star anise pistachios, to serve For the labneh 400g Greek yoghurt 1½ tbsp icing sugar pinch of cinnamon Method Step For the labneh, pour off the liquid sitting on top of 400g Greek yoghurt Step Mix in 1½ tbsp icing sugar and a pinch of cinnamon then tip the 400g Greek yoghurt into some muslin. Set this in a sieve, tie the muslin to form a bag and put it in the fridge. Leave for about 12 hours or so, squeezing the muslin bag every so often. Step Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Trim the bases and tops of 700g rhubarb stalks. Cut into 3cm lengths and put into a large ovenproof dish in which they can lie – more or less - in a single layer. Step Put the 65g granulated sugar, 100g honey, 200ml blood orange juice, 100ml water, 2 broad strips of orange zest, 2 slices of root ginger and 1 star anise into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve – about 5 minutes. Step Pour over the rhubarb and cover the dish tightly with two layers of foil. Bake for 20 minutes for medium stalks; the cooking time depends very much on the thickness of the stalks, so check after 15 minutes and cook for longer if necessary. The rhubarb should be tender but not collapsing. Remove the rhubarb with a slotted spoon and put it on a flat dish. This will ensure that the rhubarb doesn't keep cooking.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Cocktail of the week: Pip's rhubarbarella – recipe
Like our food menu, our drinks list seeks to minimise wastage while at the same time highlighting the best produce of the season. And this drink is no different, pairing leftover open white or sparkling wine with at-its-peak rhubarb. Serves 1 For the rhubarb wine cordial (to make about 12 drinks; optional)250g rhubarb200ml dry white or sparkling wine200g caster sugar 4g black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 5g dried hibiscusCitric acid, or lemon juice, to taste For the drink40ml dry gin – we use Plymouth15ml dry triple sec – we use Mouse Kingdom's Orange Marmalade Quad Sec, because they're local to us in Manchester50ml rhubarb wine cordial (see above and method), or shop-bought rhubarb juice50ml soda water, or to taste If you're making the cordial, wash the rhubarb stalks, then chop them into 5cm lengths and put in a pan filled with 250ml water. Cook on a gentle heat until it's falling apart, leave to cool, then strain through muslin. (At the restaurant, we add 1ml Pectinex and leave for 45 minutes before straining again, to aid clarification, but that's entirely optional.) Alternatively, just use a shop-bought juice such as Cawston Press's apple & rhubarb instead. Pour the rhubarb juice into a clean pan, add the wine, sugar, peppercorns, bay and hibiscus, and stir gently over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Fine strain, leave to cool, then add citric acid or lemon juice incrementally to taste, until the cordial is bright and tart; taste it first, though, because it may not need any at all. Decant into a clean bottle or jar, then seal and store in the fridge for up to a week. If you like, rinse and dry the bay leaves to use as a garnish later. To build the drink, measure the gin, triple sec and cordial into a shaker, add ice and shake hard. Fine-strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice, top with soda stir to combine and serve. Grace Oatway, beverage manager, Pip, Treehouse Manchester
