I planted some rhubarb in our back garden two years ago. Last year the yield from it was quite small but I had expected this. This year I had high hopes though and had visions of me baking weekly rhubarb delights as it spat out stalks at an unprecedented rate. It hasn’t quite happened like that. I know it is still early in the season for outdoor rhubarb and the weather has been bitterly cold (as I type hail stones are lashing down from the heavens) for so late in the year so I am hoping things will improve over the next few weeks. I got fed up waiting for the 3 stalks currently growing to reach a decent size and on Sunday I bought some from the supermarket instead. I just couldn’t wait any longer to make something nice and Mr. LMUTB has been requesting stewed rhubarb as soon as I pillage our little plant out the back.
Growing up we had a tiny back yard, with an even tinier plot of soil. Nothing much grew there other than a yellow rose-bush, ivy, potatoes and rhubarb. In rhubarb season there seemed to constantly be a pot of stewed rhubarb on the hob. Dad would eat big bowl full of it, absolutely smothered in thick, creamy custard. My preference now. I didn’t eat rhubarb back then, when it was plucked straight from our very own back yard and cooked up instantly in a little pot on the hob. I waited until recent years to try it and really am sorry that I wasted so many rhubarb eating years. I can’t wait to cook up the first of this years haul from the back garden, but for now I will have to settle for shop bought to satisfy my craving.
Stewed Rhubarb
Apologies, but I forgot to weigh the finished product, but I reckon it yields enough to make dessert for 4 people.
5 Stalks of Rhubarb
100g Caster Sugar
Juice of 1 Lemon
2tbsp Water
1tsp Ground Ginger
1. Trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks and discard. Chop the stalks into 2cm pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, water and ginger to the saucepan. The lemon and ginger add a nice zing to the stewed rhubarb, helping it to hold onto its tart flavour, but if you prefer yours sweet you can simply leave these out and just use the sugar and water. Bring the pot to the boil & then turn down to a low heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. The fruit should be soft and break up easily when you stir it with a spoon. Give it a nice vigorous stir to break it all down until it is a consistency you are happy with.
3. Serve the rhubarb warm or cold with custard, cream, ice cream or even some natural yoghurt.
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I too am a rhubarb addict and planted mine this year to satisfy my craving. I’ve planted it beside the compost bin so that it can be fed even when I ignore it. Have you covered it with a bottomless bucket or large flower pot? This, I am reliably informed, forces it to grow to the light!
Confession…my current addiction is homemade rhubarb schnapps…yum yum.
I try to ignore things in the garden as much as possible so they don’t depend on me too much. You have to be able to fend for yourself in this house.
I never even thought to cover it, but it makes so much sense as forced rhubarb grows earlier. I must give it a try, thanks for the tip. Enjoy the schnapps. 
Once your rhubarb takes off, it’ll keep growing for years! Horse manure is excellent for rhubarb. Just cover the stool of rhubarb before the winter and cover it all with either some black polythene of a bucket. This will protect it and nourish it over the cold months. Hopefully you’ll have a great return next year.
Thanks Nessa, as you’ve seen I’m going to give it a bash under cover to see how it goes. No new growth for a weeks now so maybe it might help to move it along. If not I’ll definitely cover it up next winter and hope for a better yield next year.
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