There is a rhubarb plant in my back yard. It was there when we moved in. Like the raspberries, which have died, it has been scrawny and small and generally gives me a mere single pie's worth of fruit in a year. I basically ignore it and get rhubarb from my mum in law instead. I love rhubarb...it's so tart. Put it in matrimony cake instead of dates and I'm all over it.
This spring it has rained (and rained...and rained) more than I can recall in years.
And guess what? That rhubarb plant is freaking HUGE. It's waist height and there is this massive centre stalk in it with a hugeass flower that looks like some sort of podule coming out of the middle of it. It hasn't been asking me to feed it yet or called me Seymour, but I'm absolutely fascinated by it. I didn't know rhubarb plants flowered. My mum had lots of them in the back yard and they never did that before. Apparently I'm supposed to remove it because it causes the plant roots and leaves to weaken...I'm guessing because it puts all it's oomph into making a flower instead.
Pity...it's so odd. I want to stare at it a few more days before I remove it. I'll be sure to snap a photo of it if it ever stop raining...
So lesson to me?
Water my rhubarb.
I'm looking forward to a summer of yummy muffins, pies and maybe even some jam. Mmmmm...
6 comments:
and rhubarb wine - yummy and super easy to make :)
really?
Hmmm...
I haven't seen my rhubarb since the man in black worked up my garden. Perhaps it wandered off to your place!
Rhubarb wine is good......
yup - you chop up the rhubarb fairly finely, pour sugar over it and let it sit until all the sugar has melted - the rhubarb does some sort of crazy drawing out moisture thing. this melted rhubarb sugar is the base of the wine. rinse well, saving all the water, add more water to a gallon, yeast, ferment, ...tada - rhubarb wine. 1.2 k sugar to 1.2 k rhubarb.
All those years learning about horticulture in college, and not once did any of my professors use the word "oomph" in describing plant growth. I'm severely disappointed.
I always wanted to use my rhubarb at my house, but when I saw the cats were spraying in the general area, decided to lay off! Mum said the same. Awful shame.
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