We purchased what will very likely be our last bundle of rhubarb at the farmer’s market this past weekend. We’re always so sad to see it go. But those of you who grow your own rhubarb might not have to: here’s a tip for getting a second harvest later in the season!
According to the vendor at one of our favorite farm stands, if you cut your rhubarb back completely, it will sprout a second crop later on in the summer. The second crop will be smaller and less robust, which is likely why we don’t see much of it at the farmer’s market, but it’s enough for a dose of rhubarb goodness right when you’re starting to miss it.
Have any of you tried getting a second harvest out of your rhubarb?
Related: Homemade Pantry: Rhubarb Syrup
(Image: Flickr member kthread licensed under Creative Commons)
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I get my rhubarb from a nearby retiree who gives it away and he always calls to notify me of a second crop.
He harvests the first crop severely, almost down to nothing, and then a few weeks later, voila! more rhubarb to share!
Cool - more culinarily-oriented gardening tips, please!
About 90% of my rhubarb stalks are green - what can I do to make it lusciously ruby?
@47ranchdressing
I've tried growing about 5 different varieties of rhubarb over the years, and have consistently had better luck with varieties that produce mostly green stalks. The couple varieties I tried that were known for red stalks (Valentine and one other I can't remember) were much less hardy and gave low yields of spindly stalks. *sigh*
For red color I either work in some strawberries or raspberries...or if no one's looking, a drop or two of red food coloring. I found out the hard way that the appearance of cooked green rhubarb is off-putting to my kids.
I've been growing rhubarb for many years, and always get many crops from it. I harvest quite a lot early on, and then keep harvesting and watering it, and I get rhubarb for most of the summer. Last year we had a wet summer, and I was still harvesting it in September. Usually the stems are red, but they tend to become more green in colour as the season goes on. I don't really notice any difference in the flavour.
My mom's experience is similar to llf's: she's been harvesting from the same rhubarb plants for something like 30 years.
I joke with her because every year she insists that her crop is totally, utterly spent by about July. And every year, I visit her in September or even October and go away with an armload of perfectly beautiful rhubarb.
Incidentally, nothing is better than starting some rhubarb schnapps in October then tapping into it in the darkest days of Winter.