3. Good Organic Gardening - May-June 2016 AvxHome.in

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Rhubarb
The pie
plant
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned favourite
and it’s easy to see why. Its tasty, bright
stems look as tantalising in the garden
as they do on the plate
Words Melissa King
Photos Diggers Club
Like many of us, I have childhood
memories of feasting on rhubarb
and apple pie with lashings of
vanilla ice cream or dollops of thick
fresh cream. And, while there is no denying
that rhubarb and apple are a match made
in heaven, rhubarb’s tart flavour also goes
well with pears, berries, cheeses, yoghurt,
almonds, ginger, honey and hazelnuts, just
to name a few.
So you can use it in in all kinds of
desserts, from rhubarb and berry trifle to
rhubarb and custard tart, and even savoury
dishes such as beetroot and rhubarb salad.
Americans often mix it with strawberries
in tarts and preserves and traditionally it
has been used in German kitchens to make
Rhabarber Blechkuchen, a rhubarb sheet
cake. It’s also a key ingredient in kompot, a
non-alcoholic beverage popular throughout
Eastern and Central Europe as well as
Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan.
In the garden, rhubarb — sometimes
called the pie plant — is a leafy vegetable
with thick, brightly coloured stems that can
be red, pink, green or spotted depending
on the variety. The leaves of the plant
are poisonous, so be sure to only eat the
rhubarb stalks.
If you’re after a variety you won’t find
in the shops, try growing Rhubarb ‘Mount
Tamborine’ with extra-large stems. This
Queensland beauty has rich, ruby-red stalks
that have double the impact, in the ground
and on the table. Or you might like to try
‘Red Dragon’, which has sweet, dark-red
stems and a strong, vigorous growth habit.
‘Winter Wonder’ takes centre stage
through the cooler months with rich, deepred
stalks that step into the limelight just
as other varieties are ready to be cut back,
and makes a lovely border around the
vegie patch.
Rhubarb ‘Vi ctoria’ is a classic heirloom
variety and a good reliable cropper for
the backyard. It was introduced in 1837
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